The Damage Has Been Done
by BackToBlonde
Summary: Set after Atlantis Complex, Artemis is 18 and cured. Holly has promised she'll never see him again, but what will happen when he is kidnapped by Opal Koboi? Will she rescue him in time? Rated T just in case. Final chapter is now up! Sequel is also out.
1. Chapter 1

**hi e veryone, this is my first story on here, so please be nice- not too much flaming! also, there will be more action and a big plot so please bear with me and keep reading :)**

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The Damage Has Been Done

Chapter 1: missing you

Artemis Fowl sat at his desk, staring out of the open window blankly. The night breeze caused his curtains to billow. It rustled the papers in front of him, sending them flying across the room. He ignored this. Anyone that knew him well would be able to see right away that he was deep in thought. A small frown creased his features and he rested his head in his hands, oblivious to the world around him.

There was a soft knock at the door. Artemis jumped about a foot in the air, knocking the remaining papers to the floor as he did so. He quickly recovered and hurried over to open the door. It was Angeline Fowl.

"What is it, mother?"

Angeline studied her wild-eyed son. He was a far cry from the aloof, impeccably neat individual she had known up until a month ago. Now, his hair was in crazy disarray around his head and his clothes had a flung together appearance. His shirt was untucked and the buttons were askew. She had wanted him to dress casually, but this wasn't smart or casual. This was a mess. The thing that worried her most though was the fact that he looked as though he hadn't slept in about a week. Something was wrong with him, and she intended to discover what it was. She walked into the windswept room, shutting the window softly before taking a seat on the bed. She gestured for Artemis to sit down beside her and he did so grudgingly. He knew what was coming.

"Arty, what's wrong with you?" she put a hand on his shoulder.

Artemis tried hard not to shrug it off. He didn't like physical contact. "Nothing's wrong, mother." Angeline snorted.

"Artemis. You've barely spoken a word to anyone in days, you look like you've not slept and you haven't eaten a single thing all day. Something is obviously wrong so please don't insult my intelligence by pretending that everything is fine. Something is bothering you. What is it?" Artemis sighed.

"It's nothing. I've just had a fight with a friend, that's all." Angeline looked slightly relieved.

"Oh, a bad one?" Artemis nodded. _'Bad'_ was an understatement. He was pretty sure that the friend in question was never going to speak to him again.

It had been a month ago. Holly had stopped by after a routine kraken watch mission and they had been catching up. Long story short, (pardon the pun) Artemis had accidentally let slip the fact that he was in love with her. He remembered his mortification as the words had slipped out. They had been talking and laughing about something completely different, and Artemis had just broke. The pent up emotions, the weakness that he had been denying for so long had slipped from his lips. He had covered his mouth with his hands; trying to stuff the words back in. but it was too late.

He shuddered as he remembered her face. _One moment, she had been fine, unsuspecting. Then, as she processed what he had said, her expression had changed to one of what Artemis could only describe as horror. Not exactly what he'd been hoping for in the back of his mind_

"_A-Artemis," she had stammered, standing up. "I thought we were over this years ago." He had just sat there, saying nothing. Holly had understood. "You were never over it, were you?" he had shaken his head slowly. "But that was…" Holly counted out loud. "Fourteen… fifteen… sixteen… seventeen… that was over four years ago! How in Frond's name did you keep something like that bottled up?"_

"_With great difficulty." Artemis had replied. "Holly, please don't let this stop us being friends. Look, forget that I ever told you. It was silly."_

_Holly had shaken her head. "I cant do that. Us, it would never work. You know that just as well as I do. And how can I be friends with you knowing that you'll always wish it was something more?"_

"_I don't care, Holly!"_

"_Well I do. I can't hurt you every time I see you. These… feelings you have, they've lasted far too long. It would be better for the both of us if I just leave. Then you can move on." she had stood up and made her way towards the open window._

"_Holly! No!" Artemis had reached out and grabbed for her arm, but she had already shimmered out of the visible spectrum. A small, disembodied voice had whispered in his ear._

"_I'm sorry, Artemis, you won't see me again." He had lunged for the source of the voice but had found his fingers clutching at thin air. She was gone._

His mother's voice jerked him back to the present. "Arty." He zoned in and tried to pay attention. "I asked you a question." He shook his head to dislodge the memories.

"Sorry, mother. What were you saying?"

"I asked if there was anything I could do to help." Artemis smiled ruefully and shook his head.

"Not particularly. The damage has been done."

His mother ruffled his hair and stood up, heading for the open door. "Don't worry, son. I'm sure it will all work out."

'_If only it were that simple.' _Artemis thought as Angeline left.

The next morning, he dragged himself out of bed and into a freezing cold shower, trying to wake himself up. Once again, he had only gotten a few hours sleep. His brain wouldn't shut down long enough for him to drift off.

'_Thirty-two days since Holly left for good.'_ He thought dully as he dressed. The thought of never seeing his friend again made his insides wrench apart for the millionth time. And then, for the millionth time, he would get angry with himself for his weakness, for allowing someone to become close enough to hurt him.

He caught sight of himself in the mirror. An extremely dishevelled, ill looking Artemis Fowl stared back; his mismatched eyes a cruel reminder of what he had lost. He looked away quickly and headed downstairs. Butler greeted him in the kitchen.

"Breakfast?" Artemis nodded resignedly. Even though he had eaten nothing the previous day, he wasn't hungry.

"Just toast please, Butler." He sat down as the manservant prepared his breakfast, setting it down in front of him. Artemis picked up a slice and took a small bite. It tasted like cardboard. Then again, everything he ate these days tasted like cardboard. He ate a few more bites and then pushed it away. Butler looked down at the plate pointedly. Artemis sighed. "I'm sorry old friend, but I'm really not hungry." Butler nodded and began to clear up. He couldn't force his charge to eat.

"Your mother told me she had found out what was wrong with you. She said you'd fallen out with a friend." Artemis nodded and Butler took a guess as to the identity of the _'friend'_. "Holly?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Butler didn't need to ask any more. He knew how long the elf could hold a grudge. He also suspected how much his young charge cared for her.

After breakfast, Artemis found himself heading back upstairs. He wanted to do some work, to take his mind off things. He was currently attempting to cure every disease known to mankind. Just for something to do. Just for a distraction. He entered the sixteen-digit code on a keypad and entered his study. He was greeted by quite a shock. Standing not two feet away was a tiny pixie, her dark eyes glimmering with malice. Twin orbs of magic glimmered at her fingertips. Opal Koboi smiled.

"Miss me, mud boy?"

she cackled and sent a bolt straight at Artemis. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

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**i will try and update pretty regularly. please review and tell me what to do to get better, or what you like, or whatever. **

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	2. Chapter 2

**hi, thanks to everyone who reviewed on my last chapter. i had no idea reviews could actually make you so happy! ^_^ **

**anyway, here's chapter 2 which isnt quite so depressing. its also very short so i'll update pretty quickly**

**_disclaimer: __i forgot to put this in the last chapter but oh well, i can say it twice here- i do not own Artemis Fowl, i do not own Artemis Fowl. There. Now i want to cry. Happy?_**

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**Chapter Two: Call To Arms**

**The lower elements- police plaza**

Police plaza was in uproar. Not ten seconds ago, Foaly had burst into Commander Kelp's office.

"We've found Koboi! I've got her!" he brayed, skidding to a halt in front of a startled group of fairies. Evidently, there had been some kind of meeting going on but Foaly didn't care. They'd been searching for 'past' Opal for four years now, she had just disappeared from the face of the planet. Not a whisper of her whereabouts. Until now. Evidently, the commander felt the same.

"Get a Recon officer in here now. And put Retrieval on standby. And n01. Things could get complicated fast." He stood up and followed the centaur through to the ops booth. "Where did you sight her?" he asked. Foaly brought up a screen as he spoke.

"You'll never guess, Trouble." The Commander groaned when he saw the building on screen. Of course it was Fowl Manor. Where else?

"How did you find her?" Foaly shrugged.

"You know I monitor Fowl Manor. I was just flicking through the security cameras when I came across this." He pressed a button and a recording of a hallway popped up. The two fairies watched as a dishevelled looking Artemis Fowl walked towards them, stopping outside a door. Trouble opened his mouth to speak but the centaur shushed him.

"Just watch." The mud boy entered a code and the door swung open. The camera zoomed in. standing just inside the doorway was Opal. She immediately blasted a shot of magical energy at Artemis, who crumpled to the ground. Then, she looked up, straight at the camera. She grinned evilly and gave a jaunty little wave before shooting a second bolt towards the screen. The image dissolved into static. Trouble paled. This didn't look good.

"Do we have any visuals of what happened next?"

The centaur shook his head. "Afraid not, but I do know their location. Artemis has a tracker on him at all times; I simply hacked into the feed. I figured that Opal took him with her since he is now moving at high speed across Ireland."

The commander stared at the blank screen uneasily. If Artemis Fowl had been kidnapped, things just got ten times worse. Especially since, if they attempted a rescue, they would be walking straight into a trap. But they couldn't just abandon the mud man, look at how many times he had saved their asses in the last few years. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand. He hated being in charge at times like this. Making up his mind, he stormed to the booth door and yanked it open. He yelled out into the bustling hall.

"Where is that Recon officer I asked for?"

Two minutes later, Commander Kelp stood in front of five of the LEP's finest. They were the only officers available at the time. "Right men. And woman." He added, nodding in Holly Short's direction. "We have a situation." We have finally located Opal Koboi." There were a few murmurs of approval from the assembled officers. Kelp silenced them with a wave of his hand and continued. "Yes. And we need one of you to go up ahead of Retrieval and assess the situation. However, whoever does go needs to be aware that they will be walking straight into a trap. Koboi has kidnapped Artemis Fowl and we believe she is using him to lure us in. she knows that Fowl is a friend to the people and that we will come to rescue him."

He looked at his officers. They now looked distinctly uneasy. It wasn't surprising considering what Koboi had done to Julius Root. He glanced at Holly. She knew the mud boy better than anyone and would be the obvious choice to send. If she consented to go that is. Right now, beneath her nut-brown complexion, she looked positively white. He cleared his throat and continued.

"This will be a highly dangerous mission but we need volunteers. I will not force you to do anything against your will. Is there anyone who is not willing to go?" none of the officers moved. They were professionals; they wouldn't refuse a mission, no matter how dangerous. He sighed. "All right. Capitan Short, you will be our primary officer, since you are already familiar with both targets. The rest of you will go topside with her and wait at Tara. It may be that she needs backup before Retrieval can get there." Holly and the other officers nodded, determined looks on their faces.

Foaly immediately ushered them over to an equipment store. "ill get you all kitted out." he pulled a new suit off the wall. I finally got a decent budget for these things, so everything's pretty swish. Its got all the usual stuff of course, and I've upgraded the auto armour. This thing'll stop anything short of a nuclear explosion. Also, when the helmet's sealed, it's completely insulated, so no heat sensors can detect you. And the wings are something else. They're whisper retractable, and the speeds come close to breaking the sound barrier. He passed one to each fairy. "I've also got the new version of the neutrino right here. Its size adjustable, so if you like a big gun…" he paused and pressed a button. The neutrino seemed to grow before their eyes. "You can have a big gun. And if you like a small gun…" he pressed another button and it shrank. "you can have a small gun." He handed one to each of them. The assembled fairies tried to look unimpressed. Foaly had a big enough head already. They quickly DNA coded their weapons, changed, and then set off for the nearest chute.

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**ok, you guys know the drill. if you review, i update, if you dont review, i will still update but not as quickly. hee hee :D**

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	3. Chapter 3

**haha told you i'd be quick to update! Anyway, i decided to send Artemis to Scotland because thats where i live and i like it here :) don't worry though, he'll be back in Ireland before you know it.**

**disclaimer: Artemis fowl isn't mine, no matter how much i wish it :'(**

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**chapter 3: complications**

**Tara- Ireland**

An hour later, Holly was on the surface, hurrying away from the shuttle port at Tara. Her ears were still ringing from the noise of the flare. She had been extremely lucky to make it to the pod in time for the next magma flare. Of course, the other Recon officers were taking the nice, cushy supersonic shuttle. And Retrieval were taking an even nicer, cushier Ambassadors shuttle. She activated her wings and leapt into the air, climbing rapidly. Boy, these new wings were fast. She sped up even more; a bullet rushing through the night sky. She had to reach Artemis before it was too late.

Suddenly, Holly stopped dead. She had just realised she had no idea where she was supposed to be going. Gods, what was wrong with her today? Rational thought seemed to have deserted her completely. Shaking her head at her stupidity, she opened a com-link in her helmet.

"Foaly? Are you with me?"

"Sure am, darlin', I'm just sending you the tracker signal." Sure enough, a second later a map appeared in her visor. There was a red dot flashing in the centre. Apparently, Artemis was in Scotland. Holly adjusted her course accordingly and once again opened her wings to full throttle. The centaur was unusually quiet in her helmet.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied. "It's just… don't you think this is a bit too easy?"

"Foaly, it's a trap, remember? It's supposed to seem easy."

He sighed, a rush of static through the speakers. "I know that Holly, but Koboi is smart enough to know that we know it's a trap, yet still we are just stumbling in blindly. You know what happened last time we underestimated Opal." Holly nodded. Then remembered that Foaly couldn't see her.

"Yes. I do remember." Last time, her commanding officer and good friend had been murdered and she had taken the blame. Holly unconsciously sped up. She wouldn't let Artemis die. She had to get to him. She laughed softly. So much for her promise to never see him again. It seemed like fate just wouldn't let that happen.

"What's funny Holly?" asked Foaly in a scandalised voice. Oops. She hadn't meant to laugh out loud.

"Nothing, I was just thinking of something I said to Artemis last time I saw him."

"What did you say?" Foaly asked. His curiosity always got the better of him.

"I swore that I would never see him again. Ironic, isn't it?" she choked back a sob.

"Holly, Artemis isn't going to die. You will save him, like you always do."

"Yes, but what if I don't?" _what if the last thing she ever said to him was the thing that broke his heart? One of the only times he had been truly honest with her. He had placed himself at her mercy, and she had thrown the gesture back in his face. And now her friend was going to die before she could make things right._

"Holly. Come on. You're a professional. Pull yourself together right now or you'll be in no fit state to face Opal.

Holly nodded and blinked back a few stray tears from her eyes. Foaly was right. She had to focus.

By now, Holly was closing in on the signal. It was stationary in central Scotland, a couple of minutes from her current location. _Thank Frond Foaly upgraded these wings_. "Foaly. What do I do once I get to the location?"

"You've got to check out the area. Retrieval are only half an hour behind you so Kelp says don't do anything stupid." Holly sighed. They knew her so well. If she had a chance to take Opal alone, she would. Well, not completely alone. She'd have her new super humungous neutrino with her…

Smiling at that thought, she began to descend as the centaur relayed the rest of her instructions. "… And make sure you check out the area. It seems like she's in the basement of a building so I want you to put an optic twist round a camera before doing anything else. We need to see everything that's going on."

Very soon, the building in question loomed up out of the darkness. It seemed to be an abandoned warehouse. She landed lightly on a wall, still shielded, and pulled out one of Foaly's video cables, wrapping it securely round the nearest security camera. Good. Now the LEP had eyes and ears. Not to mention total control of the video feeds. There came the sound of furious typing through her helmet.

"Okay. I've got all visuals. There's no sign of Opal. I only have one heat signature in the building and judging by the size, its Artemis. I'll find out his location since I already know you're going to disobey orders and fly in there." More typing echoed down the line. "He's in the basement. First door to your left when you go down the stairs." He sent her the building blueprints and Holly flew cautiously inside.

_Why would she just leave him here? _It didn't make sense. She drifted along a narrow corridor, which opened out into a wide storeroom. She could see the stairs on the other side. If this place were booby-trapped, it would be in here, she was sure of it. Nonetheless, Holly carried on. No traps were sprung. No bombs went off. Nothing. This was very un-Opalesque. She flew down the stairs and stopped outside the correct door.

"Are you sure there's nothing on the other side, Foaly?"

"As sure as I am that dwarfs eat mud." That was good enough for her. She pushed the door handle down. It was unlocked. Not a good sign. On the other side was a brightly lit room. She buzzed up her visor and took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the blinding light. It came from a set of lamps on the ceiling. They were obviously new. Her gaze drifted down and she spotted Artemis, kneeling at the opposite wall. She let out a breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding.

"Artemis! You're alive!" the mud boy jerked upright. When he saw Holly, his eyes widened in disbelief, which quickly changed to panic, which in return was replaced by a mask of cold indifference.

"Captain Short. I wasn't expecting you here." Holly sighed. Great. Obviously he was mad at her then.

"Artemis, there's no time for this now. We have to get you out of here. Do you know where Opal is?"

"I do not." His expression did not change. "Captain Short, you cannot possibly hope to get me out of here."

Holly wasn't listening. She addressed Foaly. "Are you detecting any traps?"

"Nope Holly, there's nothing dangerous that my sensors are detecting. Oh wait, hold on…" he paused for a moment. "There's something on Artemis, a spot of interference. I can't see what it is in the camera. Ask him if he knows." She looked back at Artemis, who was smiling at her patronisingly. Of course he knew. They were always two steps behind when it came to this human.

"Artemis. I know you're dying to tell me. What is on you?"

He continued to smile in the most superior and extremely annoying fashion. "Why Holly, you should know. It is fairy technology after all, not really designed for humans." She could hear barely concealed anger behind the sarcasm in his voice.

Holly rolled her eyes. She didn't have time for childish pettiness. "Come on Mud boy!" she snapped. "I know you know so just tell me."

He straightened up. "I apologise. That was quite rude. From what I can see, it is a design similar to octo-bonds, used by the LEP. I believe you are familiar with them?" Holly's mind flashed back to the bomb clamped onto Julius Root's chest. Yes. She was all too familiar with them. She nodded.

"Well, these are Opals version, with a twist." His lip curled into a sneer at the thought of the deranged pixie. "She took great pleasure in explaining to me how they work. First, it contains a proximity detector. The closer someone gets to me, the further the bands will constrict, eventually crushing my ribs or lungs, which you, Captain Short, will not have enough magic to heal considering that you have probably been shielded since Ireland."

Holly growled. He was right. She hadn't completed the ritual in ages and shielding had depleted her resources drastically. She barely had enough magic left to heal a grazed knee, never mind major internal injuries. "Show me it, Artemis." She said.

He obliged, lifting up his shirt so she could see the thin metal tendrils wrapped round his chest and waist.

"Is there a way to deactivate it?" she asked.

"Yes, there is a four-digit keypad on the back, but I cannot hope to reach it without dislocating my shoulder."

"Right, so it has to be de-activated manually." She addressed Foaly in her ear. "Can you at least find out what the code is?" the centaur whinnied.

"I'm already on it, Holly." There was a slight pause… "4,4,7,1."

Holly nodded. Good. Now all she had to do was somehow type it in. "Artemis. I'm going to come a bit closer to you. We need to see how far this thing constricts before hurting you."

Artemis nodded, his eyes still cold. "Very well."

She took a couple of steps forwards. All of a sudden, she was distracted by a loud beeping noise. "What's that?"

Foaly groaned into her headpiece. "More complications. I think she's put explosives in the octo-bond cable box. That'll blow in exactly three minutes if you don't get it off mud boy.

_Great. So it's a choice between Artemis dieing slowly and painfully, or quickly and painfully. _Holly thought sarcastically as she stepped back again. She quickly relayed this information to the human. Though his face paled, he seemed unsurprised. Well, it was Opal behind this after all.

"Artemis." Holly said. "What do you want me to do?" she watched as he paused for a moment, possibly trying to collect himself. He took a deep breath and then spoke.

"You'll just have to try and put in the code. Hopefully, you'll be able to heal me in time."

Holly shook her head frantically, her hair flicking into her face. "I can't do that to you."

Artemis's cool persona seemed to evaporate. "Holly!" he snapped. "Its either that or I get blown to smithereens. If you don't do it quickly, we all will, so please hurry up."

She made up her mind and took a step forwards. "All right. Artemis, this is probably going to hurt."

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**okay, i would like you to review please. i love everyone who reviews! constructive criticism and ideas for later are welcome :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**thanks again for all the reviews, and a special thanks to mischevious101 (aka bunnie) for the tips. i've gone back and attempted to edit it a bit ^_^**

**this chapter gets kinda dark but it's only this chapter so don't worry, i'm not going all torturey )**

**disclaimer: i do not own Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer does and unfortunately for me, it's staying that way :(**

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Holly gritted her teeth and took another step. This whole situation was becoming far too familiar for her liking. It was too much like what had happened to commander Root. Julius's last words to her had been to save Artemis. She wasn't about to break her promise now. She looked up at him.

"Is it hurting yet?"

He shook his head. "No. I can feel it constricting, but it is not yet uncomfortably tight." Holly nodded. She took a deep breath. Another step. Then another. Then another. On the fourth step, she heard a sharp intake of breath. Her head snapped up. Artemis had turned chalky white.

"Now?" she asked.

"Yes. But keep going." The boy took a deep, steadying breath and sat back slightly. Holly took a few more steps. She wasn't even halfway there when Artemis groaned, his fingers clenching into fists. He looked like he was about to throw up.

All of a sudden, she heard voices above her, and the whirr of a shuttle engine. The other Recon officers were here. Not that they could do much good at the moment.

"Holly!" came Foaly's voice in her ear. "You need to hurry, there's only two minutes left before that thing explodes."

"I know!" she growled into her mouthpiece before moving forwards at a snails pace. She swore she could see the band visibly constricting. Artemis dug his nails into the wooden floor. He was beginning to find it difficult to breathe. "Ow. Holly, hurry up!" He moaned softly. She was still a good distance away.

Upstairs, she could hear the voices coming closer. The other fairies were in the building. If she didn't get out of here in time, the bomb would probably kill them too. She didn't have time to go slow anymore, they had to get out of there fast. Holly began to stride forwards. Artemis cried out. His breaths were wheezing and ragged. She was only a few metres away now. Suddenly, she heard a sharp crack, followed by another and another. Artemis shrieked out in agony as blood blossomed through his shirt. He coughed and strings of blood appeared from his mouth.

Holly needed to get that thing off him now. She began to run. Before she could reach him though, Artemis screamed again. There were more cracks. The scream was cut off into a rasping cough that brought up more blood. He collapsed onto the ground. Holly fell to the ground beside him. Her hands were shaking as she rolled him over onto his front. She peeled back the Velcro strap to reveal the keypad. As fast as she could, she keyed in the number and pulled the belt off of Artemis, throwing it aside. The beeping countdown stopped. They were safe, for the moment. Though the boy appeared to be unconscious. She cracked her jawbone sharply to the left. He needed magic. Now. Placing a hand on his wheezing chest, she pushed her magic out as fast as it could go. The blue sparks meandered down her arm sluggishly, targeting Artemis's right hand side first. _Collapsed lung,_ she supposed. Much sooner than she would have liked, her magic ran dry. One lone remaining spark sank into his skin. "Artemis was still nowhere near healed. She had only repaired one lung; her magic hadn't done anything for his ribs. She needed help. Now.

Almost immediately, her prayers were answered as the four recon officers thundered through the door, neutrinos at the ready. She stood up quickly.

"Koboi is not here, we don't know where she is but I need someone with magic to come and heal Fowl." The officers skidded to a halt and lowered their weapons, hesitating. "NOW!" she bellowed.

A gnome stepped forward. "I'll do it." he kneeled down beside Artemis. Holly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Birch. He's got at least five broken ribs. He had a collapsed lung as well, but I managed to heal that before my magic ran out."

Birch nodded. "Lets see what I can do." He placed a hand on the unconscious human and a sluggish river of sparks flowed from it, sinking into the boy's skin. After no more than five seconds, they sputtered and died. The fairy looked at his hand bemusedly. "I don't understand it." he looked up at Holly, confusion etched into his features. "I was running hot."

"That's odd. That was what happened to me. I was low on magic at the time though. I just thought I had ran out."

Birch nodded solemnly. "Someone else should try."

One by one, the other three fairies tried to heal Artemis. Each time, the result was the same. The sparks flowed for a moment, and then ran out.

"This is some sick trick of Koboi. To make sure Artemis doesn't survive." Holly growled. Birch put a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, let's get him outside and then we can figure out what to do." Five officers hoisted the human into the air carefully and the strange group made their way back outside. They placed him on the ground away from the warehouse. Birch turned to Holly once more. "You stay and guard the mud boy till Retrieval get here and we'll go scout out the area." Holly nodded mutely and her comrades disappeared into the darkness.

The next ten minutes were the longest of Holly's life. She just stood and stared mutely at the broken teenager in front of her. This was her fault. If she'd known they wouldn't be able to heal him, she never would've gone anywhere near him. Foaly's voice rang in her ear, giving her a huge shock after the silence.

"Holly, Recon's only a couple of minutes away now. I think Trouble brought N01 with him and he might have more luck healing Artemis."

"Alright." She activated a link to the other Recon officers. "Retrieval are coming, any sign of Opal?"

"Negative Captain Short. We'll head back and meet you." In less than a minute, the five fairies were standing in a forlorn circle around Artemis. None of them were very happy. What had they actually achieved besides almost killing a human?

Ten seconds later, the retrieval shuttle landed in front of them. The doors slid open and out jumped commander Kelp. His eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of the injured mud boy.

"Why haven't you healed him?" Holly left it to the other officers to explain and sat down beside Artemis. The fear and adrenaline of the evening had left her exhausted. What had Opal done to make them lose their magic? There must be some sort of spell on the building, she realised. Glancing down at Artemis, she winced. Those ribs looked painful. He was lucky he wasn't awake right now. She was distracted by a voice.

"Holly!" she looked up into the face of trouble Kelp.

"Sorry, commander, what is it?"

"I said, N01 is in the shuttle, he might have more luck. Will you please go and fetch him?" Holly nodded and made her way to the ship. All around her, the other officers were setting up a guard and searching the perimeter for Opal. They'd never find her. Inside, a smiling N01 greeted her warmly.

"Holly! You're okay. I was slightly worried when I heard you were off to face Opal. Remember what she did to us last time?" he gave a delicate shudder. Obviously, he hadn't gotten over being dunked in a barrel of fat yet. Holly wholeheartedly agreed with him. She had no desire to repeat that experience. "Is our friend Artemis alright?" he asked.

"No. He's outside with five broken ribs and none of us can heal him. past Opal has cast some sort of spell and we have lost our magic."

"Hmmm. That is rather unfortunate." The imps face brightened. "But I bet I'll be able to help!" he hurried outside as fast as his stubby legs would allow and stopped in front of Artemis. Holly watched with fascination as the demon warlock summoned up his powers. Soon, his eyes were glowing brightly. He directed a flow of magical energy into the human, who shuddered and jerked. _Finally,_ thought Holly. _Something's working. _There were a couple of cracks asthe magic targeted his ribs and then the blue light faded. N01 turned to Holly, exhausted. "That is all I can do, Holly. Whatever's in Opals spell is powerful if it can affect me like this." She looked at Artemis, afraid of what she might see. There was livid purple bruising across his chest. It looked painful. Well. At least his ribs were fixed and he would live.

"Thank you N01."

"No problem, Holly." The imp looked troubled for a moment. "I just wish I could have healed him completely. Our friend will be in a considerable amount of discomfort for a few days, wont he?"

"Probably. But it's not your fault N01. If it weren't for you, he would be dead. Its just lucky the commander brought you along." N01 nodded solemnly as the commander in question strode over.

"Ah, good. You managed to fix him up a bit, then." Holly nodded.

"Even N01's magic has diminished though. Past Opal must be pretty strong." Kelp nodded.

"And pretty annoyed that whatever her plan was, it didn't work. She'll come for him again, Holly."

"Yes, but we'll get her before she has the chance." Holly grasped her new neutrino. She wanted so dearly to blast that cursed pixie into oblivion. She was distracted by a loud groan from the ground. Artemis was waking up.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Artemis opened his eyes groggily. Obviously, he had been healed. Great. Now, once again, he owed Holly his life. He tried to sit up but felt a throbbing pain in his ribs. Ouch. Obviously not completely healed then. He tried again but was pushed back down by a small pair of hands.

"Artemis, you shouldn't be moving." Said Holly. She was leaning over him, concern written all over her face. He ignored her last statement and proceeded to push himself up anyway. The elf rolled her eyes and helped him into a sitting position, leaning against the shuttle hull.

"What happened?" he asked.

"After you blacked out, I got the octo-bond off you and tried to heal you. Opal has done some sort of spell thing though, as I ran out of magic in a few seconds. So did the other officers who tried to heal you. Luckily N01 was on site and he managed to patch up the worst of the damage, though even his powers have been weakened." She knelt beside him, her eyes wide with guilt. "I'm so sorry, Artemis."

He was tempted to make some scathing remark back. But decided against it. For some reason, ever since Holly had returned, all he had felt towards her was anger. It was a bit disconcerting really; she hadn't even done anything wrong. _That's not true, she left you. _Said a voice in his head.

He suddenly remembered that she was still waiting for a reply.

"It's all right, Holly. It wasn't your fault. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead right now." The tiny woman clenched her hands into fists, mis-matched eyes blazing.

"When I get my hands on that pixie, I'm going to-"

"Ahem." A voice came from behind them. It was the commander. He looked distinctly nervous. "Sorry Captain Short, but you're not going to get Opal. You've got another job to do." Artemis watched amusedly as she rounded on her superior, eyes flashing. When she spoke, it was in a dangerously low voice.

"What?"

Trouble cleared his throat apprehensively. Artemis almost smiled at the soldier's obvious discomfort.

"Holly. That is, Captain Short. I'm afraid I need you to stay here and guard Artemis."

_Hmm._ Thought Artemis. _I wonder how she'll take that._

"Why? I want to go after Opal. This isn't fair!" she looked close to throwing a temper tantrum. "Get someone else to watch him! No offence, Artemis."

"None taken." _Huh. Thanks a bunch, Holly._

Commander Kelp smiled. "I'm sorry Holly but Artemis would drive any other officer up the wall. You're the only one who can control him." Holly folded her arms.

"Yeah, like you can control an earthquake." Trouble snorted. "Well those are your orders. Mud boy here needs 24-hour surveillance till Opal is behind bars. Odds are, she'll go after him again though so you'll probably have your chance."

Holly seemed to smile a little at that thought. "All right then. Where do I take him?" the commander shrugged.

"Some hotel or other, I don't know, ask him."

She turned back to Artemis. "So, where to, mud boy?"

* * *

**okay, so i'm kinda scared to ask for reviews after beating the crap out of Arty, but what the heck, review anyway! i can handle flaming (but i'd much rather hear nice things :) )**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's another chapter for you lovely readers out there **

**Also, my last chapter when i was worried about you all getting mad cause I hurt Arty... that was stupid, wasn't it? A lot worse things happen to him in other fics on this site so I guess you guys can deal with it :]**

_Discalimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl. The only character I own in this chapter is the mysterious un-named waiter, who gives them food. :D_

**ps. the hotel they're staying in is real- look it up if you want**

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**Chapter five: sleep deprivation**

**Gleneagles hotel: Perthshire, central Scotland**

"Artemis!" Holly didn't sound happy.

"What is it?"

"Do you realise how much this room cost?" she was standing with a hotel room receipt in her hand.

"Yes, I am perfectly aware of the price."

"Well, why? I thought hotel rooms were a lot less than £1570 Per night!"

"Usually they are. But I will not be caught dead staying in some…" he wrinkled his nose in distaste. "…Travel inn. Who knows how long it will be till they track down Opal. We may as well spend the time waiting in luxury." He grinned, knowing how much he was annoying her.

To his surprise, Holly backed down. She sighed and flopped down onto the bed beside him. "Fine. I'll let you off. After all, you deserve something nice after the night you've had."

"Exactly." He turned to face her and winced as the bruising across his chest throbbed. Holly obviously noticed because she sat up, eyes wide with concern and guilt.

"Do you want ice or something for that?"

"No!" he snapped, a little too loudly.

She flinched, and then grew angry. "Fine, I was just trying to help, jeez."

Artemis felt his newfound temper flare. "Exactly. That's all you ever do!"

"What do you mean by that?" Holly yelled back.

"Nothing! It doesn't matter!" he pulled himself up and, hunching a little from the pain, strode angrily out onto the balcony. Leaning on the railings, Artemis cursed his friend in every language he knew. _Why are you so angry with her?_ A little voice in the back of his head asked. _She just wants to help you._

_That's the problem_. He replied to himself. _She always helps. No matter how horrible I am towards her. I could never repay Holly for all the things she's already done for me, how could I ever ask her for anything else on top of that?_

_Ah, _replied the mysterious voice. _But that's not the real reason. The real reason you're acting angry with her is that you're scared._

_No I'm not._

_Yes you are. You're scared that if you act nice to her, she'll get the wrong idea and fly away again. _

God. Even the voices in his head were pissing him off now. Artemis straightened up again. He had to patch things up with Holly. It wasn't her fault he was going mental. He turned and walked back inside, shutting the French doors carefully behind him.

Holly was sitting on the sofa with her back to him. Artemis could tell, from the tightness of her shoulders, that she was still mad. He crept over and sat down beside her, smiling a little when she jumped with fright. She scowled.

"What is it, mud boy?" she said, her voice dripping with contempt.

He sighed. This could be difficult. "Holly. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to yell like that. I'm just a bit stressed right now.

She looked up at him scornfully. "That's the lamest excuse for shouting at your friend I've ever heard."

"I know."

She nudged him with her shoulder. "It's okay. I'll let you off." She smiled and Artemis knew he was forgiven. Holly stretched and yawned. "Phew! I'm tired after all that. What's the time?" Artemis checked his watch.

"Nearly five in the morning."

"Oops! We're supposed to be keeping to human time up here. We should probably get to bed." She stood up. "You can take the bed, I'll sleep on the sofa tonight."

"No it's fine-"

She interrupted. "Artemis. You're the one with five half healed ribs. You take the bed tonight."

* * *

The next morning, Holly was woken by white sunlight streaming in through the windows. She glanced at the clock, then groaned and screwed her eyes tight shut. She'd only been asleep for three hours. In Haven, she'd just be going to bed at this time. She decided to get up anyway. Grabbing an orange from the fruit bowl, she began to eat it slowly. Her brain still felt sluggish. When she was done, she took another, and was just finishing it when she heard a groan from the bed. Artemis was waking up. She watched, her eyes sparking with amusement as the self-proclaimed genius struggled to sit up, becoming more and more entangled in the bedclothes. Eventually, he managed and stared at her with a confused expression on his face. This tousle-haired sleepy-eyed person was a far cry from the Fowl she knew. Holly fought back a snort of laughter and Artemis gave her an affronted look.

"What?"

"Nothing." she grinned and turned back to the fruit bowl. Out the corner of her eye, she could see Artemis attempting to stand up. He stumbled and had to clutch at a light fitting to prevent himself from falling over. Obviously, sleep deprivation wasn't good for his balance. He eventually made it to her side and she offered him an orange. He shook his head.

"No thanks. I haven't slept in two days. I'm going to need something much stronger than that to keep me awake, Holly." He turned and blundered to the door. "Coming to the restaurant?" she nodded and made to follow. Then stopped.

"Artemis. I can't go down there looking like this. I'm in a LEP jumpsuit for Pete's sake!" he appraised her blearily for a moment, and then looked down at his own crumpled shirt and trousers.

"We need new clothes. Wait here and I'll run and get some from the shop."

"Alright." The teen turned and hurried out the door. Holly settled herself back down on the couch and closed her eyes. After what seemed like barely two seconds rest, she was woken by his return. Artemis was laden with bags.

"Phew! Looks like you got a lot." He nodded.

"I didn't know what you'd like." He dumped them on the bed and pulled out a shirt and trousers for himself. "Take a look through them Holly, I'm going for a shower before I fall asleep again." He disappeared into the bathroom as she cautiously approached the bags. Human clothing. Ha. This could be interesting. She placed a hand into the nearest bag and gingerly pulled out a small green cashmere sweater. Holly wrinkled her nose. It looked like it cost a fortune. She discarded it and rummaged deeper, looking for trousers. Eventually, she managed to put together an entire outfit. She was just pulling the sweater over her head when a damp haired Artemis emerged from the bathroom. He looked marginally more awake than he had when he went in.

"Do they fit okay?" he asked her.

"Yes its all fine, but I feel as though I'm slightly overdressed for breakfast." She pulled at the sweater self consciously, missing her jumpsuit. Artemis looked at her strangely.

"It's so we fit in. This place is posh so therefore, we need to be posh too."

They set off down the hall and Holly could see that Artemis was right. If anything, she was underdressed compared to some of the people they saw emerging from their rooms.

Eventually, they found themselves in one of the hotel's many restaurants. Artemis scanned the menu slowly. "Do you see anything you like?"

Holly picked up her menu and read down the list, flinching whenever she came to a meat dish. Humans were such barbarians. At that moment, the waiter came over; he didn't even bat an eyelid at the strange couple before him. One pale teenager and one extremely small woman.

"May I take your order?"

Holly made a snap decision. "I'll have the melon fan please, and a bottle of mineral water." Artemis ordered an espresso and they settled down to wait.

"How's your ribs?" she asked conversationally.

"They're okay. The bruising should go down in a couple of days and the pain is manageable."

"Hmmm. You might not have to wait that long. The next full moon's tonight so I'll probably be able to finish healing you anyway." Artemis looked slightly relieved.

"Where's the nearest ritual site?"

"I did a scan earlier. There's one only two miles from here so I won't be gone long."

"Right." An awkward silence descended upon them. Luckily, the waiter chose that moment to return with their food. Holly dug in straight away. Even after her oranges this morning, she was starving. Artemis watched her, stirring his coffee absent-mindedly. "What do you want to do today?"

She glanced up, preoccupied with eating. "Dunno. I need to get in touch with Foaly, see if the LEP's having any luck with Opal. You'll need to see what you can do about security for tonight. I'm not leaving you without some way for me to get in touch at a moment's notice." Artemis nodded.

"I've got my communicator so that's fine, and I'll hack into the security feed just in case. Just so we can see what's going on in the grounds." That was a good idea. This estate was huge. At least 800 acres. Koboi could be in the grounds already and they wouldn't have a clue.

Back in the hotel room, they set about with their tasks. Artemis hacked into the hotels security camera feed on his mobile and updated it. It would now see through a fairy shield no bother. Holly opened a line to Foaly. He was happy to see her.

"Holly! Not dead then, I see. When your suit showed no readings we got a bit worried." Holly smiled.

"I'm having to wear mud person clothes at the moment. It's a nightmare trying to blend in." the centaur guffawed down the line.

"Well, I'm afraid you're going to have to get used to it. There's been absolutely no sign of Opal anywhere. Trouble says to tell you to be careful and stay hidden. We're pretty sure her next move will be to try and find you. Oh! That reminds me; don't contact me unless there's an emergency. That way she'll be less likely to hack into our audio feeds."

"Alright. Well, tell me if you manage to locate her." she said flatly. Holly wasn't looking forward to spending an indefinite amount of time with a lovesick Artemis Fowl and no one else to talk to.

"I will. And keep on your guard, Holly." The line went dead. She glanced over at her human friend. He was sitting on the floor amidst a tangle of wires and appeared to be concentrating furiously on something technical, though Holly was sure he'd been listening.

"They haven't found Opal yet." He nodded.

"I didn't have high hopes for her immediate recovery." He said, concentrating on placing two wires together in a circuit.

The rest of the day passed slowly for Holly. Artemis was still busy so she mainly sat and watched television. If there was one thing the mud people were good at, it was providing entertainment. In Haven all they ever got was news and reruns. Eventually, the sun disappeared behind the hills and the moon came up. After changing back into her LEP suit and helmet, Holly wrapped herself in a sheet of cam foil and left with a muttered goodbye to Artemis. She had decided to walk the short distance to the nearest magical hotspot.

As she left the glowing light of the Hotel's golf course behind, Holly shivered. It was freezing outside and the moonlight gave everything an unearthly glow. It was really creeping her out. For the first time in her life, Holly wished she were underground. At least there, she was in control of things. Whereas out here, she felt totally exposed. No magic and only a flimsy sheet of cam foil to hide her from prying eyes.

Eventually, she made it to the oak tree and she plucked an acorn from the frozen ground. Good. Now she just had to bury it somewhere else. She hurried out into an open field and quickly dug a hole with a gloved hand, popping the acorn inside. Almost immediately, she felt the sparks rush up her arm. The shock of it made her hair stand on end. For a moment the world swirled in a disconcerting kaleidoscope of colour, and when it settled Holly smiled. It felt good to have magic again. It was a part of her, after all.

Silently, she turned and activated her suit's wings, shimmering out of sight. She glided up into the sky and began the short flight back to the Hotel. She hoped Artemis would be in a better mood once he was healed. Since they had arrived at the hotel, he had been acting strangely distracted. As she neared the balcony, she saw that he was already waiting for her, silhouetted against the light pouring from the doorway. She landed silently and unshielded. Laughing as he yelled and jumped in fright.

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**There, I tried not to leave you on a cliffie, as I am away on holiday for a few days next week and I probably won't fit in another update before then.**

**Not much happened in this chapter but as usual, reviews are much appreciated. ^_^ **

**V go on, you know you want to... V**

**V**


	6. Chapter 6

**So I just got back from my holiday today and thought I would update. I'm pretty pleased at how fast I wrote this part. =)**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed even though my last chapter was kinda dull. You make my day! :D**

**anyway, there's more action than the last chapter so i hope you like it **

_Disclaimer: I do not own Eoin Colfer, therefore I do not own Artemis Fowl._

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**Chapter 6: An awful lot of running to do**

**Gleneagles hotel: Scotland**

Artemis had stood up almost as soon as the door had clicked shut, signifying Holly's exit. He packed up the jumble of makeshift electrical equipment he had managed to find and sat down. He was too distracted to attempt anything technical. Besides, the security cameras were upgraded. That was enough work for one day. Stretching, he made his way out onto the balcony. He wondered how long it would take the elf to walk the two miles to complete the ritual. Artemis sat down, rubbing his temples. He had a blinder of a headache, which was unusual for him. As he waited for Holly, he considered his next move. He would have to contact his family, he somehow doubted Foaly would have done it and they would be worried. The only problem was, he had to somehow get in touch with them in a way that Opal could not trace.

He couldn't be bothered thinking about things like that right now. Instead, he contemplated something much more difficult. Holly Short. The elf had made it painfully obvious that she did not return his feelings. At least, not openly. There was still a tiny shred of hope somewhere inside his subconscious that thought, _maybe. Maybe she does care_.

He knew it was silly, to think like that. Artemis Fowl did not make assumptions without bucket loads of solid proof to back it up. And in this case he had absolutely none. If Holly did care about him like that (which he highly doubted) she was doing an awfully good job of hiding it.

These thoughts were just making his headache worse. He felt like the last few days had stretched his already overstuffed brain to its limit. Artemis leaned back against the wall, his breath clouding in the freezing air. He _was_ capable of being 'just friends' with the elfin captain. He had managed it for the last seven years after all. And he was a very good actor. He could convince Holly that he didn't think of her that way anymore. After all, he couldn't bear the thought of her flying away for good this time.

Then, Holly popped up out of nowhere. "AAH!" He jumped about a foot in the air. Holly grinned.

"I would have thought it'd take a great deal more than that to frighten the great Artemis Fowl." She laughed out loud. He scowled.

"I did not get a fright."

"Sure you didn't." She punched him lightly on the shoulder and leapt down from the balcony edge. "Get inside and I'll heal you." Holly strolled inside and Artemis followed, muttering darkly about 'not being scared'.

She stopped and closed the balcony doors before turning to him. She placed a hand on his ribs and Artemis watched, fascinated as the blue tendrils of magic scurried down her fingertips and sank into his chest. He felt the crushing ache leave him. Slowly, the sparks died down. A few minor cuts and scratches were healed and then the magic winked out altogether. Holly looked up at him. "Did it work?"

Artemis checked. The livid purple bruising had vanished. "Yes. Thank you Holly." He stifled a yawn and the elf whacked him on the shoulder for the second time in two minutes.

"Go to sleep Arty."

He reluctantly obeyed his friend, shuffling slowly towards the clothing bags to find a pair of pyjamas. Before he made it there however, a red flashing light caught his eye. It was his recently updated mobile phone. He changed direction and headed towards where it was perched on a tabletop. He picked it up and took a quick glance at the screen. Artemis paled. The smart sensors in his phone had integrated with the human hotel security system, meaning that it could find and locate a shielded fairy anywhere in the grounds without Artemis having to search through the cameras manually.

And it had done its job.

At the present moment, a fairy was floating shielded up the stairwell on the way to their room. Though the picture was not detailed, Artemis would have bet his life that it was Opal. Either that or her identical twin anyway.

He spun round and grabbed at Holly, who was busy rummaging in her clothes bag. She emerged disgruntled, holding a pyjama shirt. Not looking at him, she began to talk.

"Teddies, Artemis. Really. When in your right mind did you ever picture me wearing teddy bear pyjamas? Honestl- hey!" He had spun her round so she was facing him.

"Holly, we have to go. Opal's here." The elf turned ashen.

"But how did she find…?"

"I think I know. I'll explain later but we have to get out of here. Now." She nodded and grabbed her helmet from the bed, fitting it over her ears.

"Let's go." she unclipped her moonbelt and fitted Artemis into it. He groaned.

"I hate these things." Holly didn't reply. She just ran and launched herself from the balcony as fast as her wings could carry her. As they sped away, Artemis glanced back at the grand old building. He could just make out the sight of a dark haired figure inside the room they had evacuated moments ago. As he watched, it leapt into the air and gave chase.

* * *

Holly felt the G-force ripple her cheeks slightly before she sealed her helmet. She'd have to slow down soon or mud boy was going to end up falling. Moonbelts weren't meant to withstand this kind of speed. She glanced back. Koboi was on their tail. Reaching down below her, she grabbed Artemis and held him close, making a streamlined shape so he wasn't flapping about in the wind. Then she opened the throttle full. Hopefully, Opal with her outdated wings would be left behind in the dust.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The pixie had evidently been making upgrades of her own. She was slowly but surely gaining on them.

Holly quickly rose higher into the sky, losing herself in the thick cloud. She felt Artemis shiver against her. All around them were tiny ice crystals. _Looks like it's about to snow. _She flew blindly through the thick, fuggy greyness for a whilebefore ducking down to check on Opal. The vengeful pixie was nowhere to be seen. Holly decided to make a dash for the ground whilst she had the chance. Without any warning, She twisted and plummeted down in a steep dive. Artemis gasped out loud as his stomach promptly flew into his throat. They were above a large forest and Holly quickly sank out of sight between the trees. She managed to slow down enough to avoid crashing into the forest floor and they tumbled to the ground. Immediately, she scrambled to her feet.

"We need to hide!" she hissed to the still-recovering human. He nodded dazedly and attempted to stand up. Apparently his legs had been reduced to jelly because he promptly fell into a ditch. Holly groaned and hurried after him. Artemis had rolled down the narrow incline and now lay half hidden in a bush. He sat up.

"Holly…" She shushed him and pushed him further under the hedge, piling a load of leaf debris over him. She reached into one of her suit's pockets and pulled out a layer of cam foil, draping that over him as well.

"Stay hidden and don't make a sound. I'm going to shield. If we're lucky she won't detect you." Holly buzzed out of sight, sealing her suit and helmet's air filters tight shut so none of her body heat escaped. She peered up through a crack in the trees, searching for any sign of the pixie. After a couple of minutes, a dark shape crossed the sky slowly. Holly held her breath.

The shape stopped directly overhead. _She's probably checking for heat sources._ Thought Holly. Hopefully, the cam foil and hedge would conceal Artemis enough that he would just seem to her to be some sort of animal. After all, Koboi would be looking for two heat sources and Holly was completely undetectable.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, the shape moved on. Holly exhaled but didn't move an inch. They couldn't leave until they were sure Opal was gone. As Holly waited tensely, the air began to fill with swirling specks of white. _Snow, finally a bit of luck._ That would just make it harder for the pixie to locate them. Gradually, the ground around her began to turn white. She carefully activated her wings and flew up into a nearby tree so she could see better. There hadn't been any sign of Opal for well over an hour now. Maybe she was gone. Anyway, it was freezing and Artemis would probably be getting uncomfortable. Holly drifted back down to her friend's hiding place and pulled the cam foil off him.

Artemis stared back at her, blue in the face and shivering uncontrollably. D'Arvit! With her suit's thermal-coils, Holly had barely even noticed the bitterly cold air. But the poor mud boy wasn't even wearing a coat. He didn't move so she pulled him up into a sitting position. Even through her gloves, his hands were like ice.

"We have to get you somewhere warm." He shook his head vehemently and tried to spit a single word through chattering teeth.

"O-Opal."

"It's okay. I think she's gone for now at least. Lets just concentrate on _you _not getting _pneumonia_." She pulled him out from under the hedge. Boy, was Artemis heavy. And he wasn't exactly assisting her by moving. Eventually, she got him out into the open. Holly adjusted the cam foil so it covered him once more and clipped him onto the moon belt. She shielded and began to fly slowly through the snow-covered undergrowth. She wouldn't venture out into the open till they had to.

Eventually, they made it to the edge of the woods. Holly braced herself and was about to break cover when she realised that she didn't actually know where she was going. She halted and hovered a few metres above the ground.

"Artemis!" she hissed. "Where are we going now?"

"I-I-d-don't kn-know. Wh-where are we?" he shuddered back. She brought up a map in her helmet.

"We're in the north of England. Around a place called the Lake District apparently." _Wow. We flew further than I thought. _

"J-just find a b-bed and breakfast or something. Th-they're all over t-this area." Holly nodded to herself and left the relative safety of the trees.

No deranged pixies came after her. The sky was clear apart from the snowstorm, which was getting heavier by the second. She sped across the countryside, keeping low to the ground. In due course, she spotted a small cluster of lights up ahead. Holly kept going and soon found herself flying invisible through deserted streets. There! At the end of the road. There was a little house with a sign reading:

"_Rosewoods Bed and Breakfast: vacancies"_

She landed lightly outside the front gate, unshielded and then ripped the cam foil off Artemis. He wasn't looking good. The tips of his fingers were starting to turn blue.

"You're going to have to ask for a room. They can't see me." He nodded numbly and started towards the door, stumbling a little in the deep snow. Eventually, he made it and rang the doorbell. Holly shielded again just as the door opened. There stood a small mousy-haired woman wrapped tightly in a dressing gown. She stared out groggily at Artemis.

"What do you want young man? It's two in the morning." She frowned a little. "If you're one of them hooligans from the village I'll call the police on you!"

* * *

Artemis shook his head and attempted to speak coherently through chattering teeth. "N-no, madam, I was wondering if I could please have a room."

She gaped at him in surprise. "A room? Who asks for a room at this time? And you have no luggage boy." Artemis had to think fast.

"I know. I live along the road, but my parents are on holiday and I locked myself out of the house." Artemis cringed inwardly. That was going on his list of worst excuses ever. Luckily, the woman seemed to take pity on him.

"Alright then dear. You come inside out of the cold." She ushered him through the door. "Goodness! You're not even wearing a jacket!" she showed him upstairs and opened a door to her left. "You're quite lucky to get this room actually, it's the last one available. Breakfast is served between 8:30 and 11:30 so if you're wanting anything in the morning, just pop down." She paused and looked him up and down for a moment. "When do your parents get home?"

"Oh, it's alright. They get home tomorrow." He retorted. She nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"Good. Well, if you need anything, just call."

"Thank you." The little woman closed the door behind her and Artemis let out a huge sigh. _Phew. _Beside him, Holly unshielded and folded her arms, grinning.

"'_I locked myself out of my house?'_ Really Artemis, was that the best you could come up with?" she snorted. "Even I could have done better than that." Artemis didn't answer. Instead, he swayed and collapsed onto the bed. "Artemis?" Holly sounded panicky now. "Artemis are you alright?" He could hardly muster up the energy to answer.

"I'm just tired. And cold."

"Oh yeah." Her LEP training seemed to kick in at that point. "Right. To stop you getting pneumonia or frostbite or anything nasty, we need to get you out of those clothes."

He raised an eyebrow at her choice of language and she cuffed him round the ear.

"Get your mind out the gutter mud boy."

Smirking slightly, he pulled off his shoes and socks, inspecting his feet. They seemed a bit swollen, and they hurt a lot, but they seemed all right. Same for his fingers. He shuffled over to the radiator and stuck them against it. Meanwhile, Holly had crept from the room on a hunt for something for Artemis to wear. When she returned, she was carrying a pair of jogging bottoms and a t-shirt. She flung them on the bed.

"Here, it's all I could find. They'll have to do tonight."

"Where did you get those?" The elf shrugged. "The owner has a son your age." He looked at her, slightly shocked. "What?" she glared at him defensively. "We'll give them back."

Normally, Artemis would be loath to the idea of putting on someone else's clothes, even if they were freshly laundered like these. At the moment, however, he was too cold and weary to care. He limped into the bathroom and shoved them on, wincing as the cold tiles burned his ill-treated toes. When he made it back to the bedroom, he was glad to see that Holly had turned the heating up full blast. He lurched across to the bed and sat down, still shivering slightly. Holly sat down beside him. She was silent for a moment and appeared to be mustering up the courage to say something. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, then spoke.

"Ha. There's no sofa in this room."

She sounded extremely awkward and Artemis immediately understood what she meant. "It's alright. It's only one night." She nodded and blushed slightly. Artemis was frankly too tired to be embarrassed. He pulled up the covers and climbed in, drawing the many sheets at the bottom of the bed right up to his chin. Within seconds he was asleep.

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Holly watched at Artemis sank into unconsciousness. Why was this so awkward for her? She pulled off her boots and gloves and clambered into the huge bed. Holly curled up on the extreme opposite side from the mud boy, so she was almost falling out. Now that she was lying there, Holly was no longer tired. She was well past the stage of exhaustion. She twisted and turned but could not drift off no matter how hard she tried. Eventually, she gave up and simply stared into space, counting the patterns the streetlight outside made on the ceiling.

Beside her, she felt Artemis shivering. How could he still be cold? She glanced over at him. In the dim light, she could see that his lips were still purple and he had a slight grimace on his face. Holly really hoped he didn't come down with something sinister. As though he had heard her thoughts, Artemis suddenly moaned and rolled over. Holly yelped as his frozen toes brushed against hers. He had curled up into a tight ball.

She watched him sleep for a moment. He looked so much more vulnerable at night. The carefully constructed mask that he wore at all times evaporated. It was the only time, Holly realised, that he actually looked honest. As she watched, he shivered again and flung out an arm that hit her in the stomach. Oof! She tried to wriggle away but he drew himself closer to the heat source and grew still once more. Unfortunately for Holly, she was now trapped in the tiny space between Artemis Fowl and the edge of the bed. Gritting her teeth, she shoved the mud boy as hard as she could in the opposite direction. He rolled over slightly. Holly tried to push him away again but he just yawned in his sleep and unconsciously snuggled closer. She blinked in surprise and fought back a laugh. If only Artemis could see himself now. This was the boy who would not tolerate physical closeness from A-N-Y-O-N-E. Eventually, she gave up trying to move him. He was warming her up anyway. And the closeness felt kind of… nice. Holly closed her eyes and finally fell asleep.

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**So there you go. Chapter six is up and I am currently nearly finished chapter seven, so it should be up in the next couple of days or so.**

**As per usual, reviews with comments or constructive crit. are much appreciated. Seriously, unless you write stories on here yourself, you will never know how happy they make you :)**

**V**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again, everyone! I struggled to get this one uploaded by Sunday as I have unfortunately been back at school this week :( Highers are a killer.**

**Anyway, Thanks to all the reviewers out there, you are all very nice to me ^_^ And here is the next installment a few days later than i expected but at least i got it up :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl**

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**Chapter 7: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow**

**Rosewoods Bed and Breakfast: England**

The next morning, Artemis gently disentangled himself from the sleeping elf. If Holly woke up when they were like this, he had no doubt that he would be on the receiving end of a punch or two. Moving stealthily so as not to wake her, he climbed out of bed and stole across the room to where his phone lay. He had to try and contact Butler today without his phone being traced. Artemis sat down on the tiny red sofa and attempted to clear his mind. He needed to plan.

After about ten minutes, Holly stirred and sat up, rubbing her eyes blearily. She took a fleeting look at him before getting up and striding over.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to set up a secure phone line so we can contact Butler. He has to be prepared in case Opal decides to target my family. Plus, we can't keep running across the country forever. I thought I might get him to pick us up and take us to one of our safe houses in Ireland." Holly blinked, surprised.

"You have more than one safe house?" Artemis resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"My father _was_ previously the head of a criminal empire, remember? My family has enemies."

"Ok, I'll grant you that. But why can't I just fly us to one?"

"Mainly, because I hate flying with those things." He pointed to the wings in the back of her suit. "But also because Opal will still be searching for us. She is far less likely to notice one of a billion cars, as she is to notice a shielded fairy flying with a human in tow." Holly had to agree. Then her eyes narrowed.

"Why haven't you done this before now?"

"Basically, because I do not have the technology to make my phone untraceable. Perhaps in Fowl manor I could have done it, but out here all I have is this." He held up his phone and Holly exhaled loudly.

"What do you need, mud boy?" He hesitated, knowing that his answer would be met with a large degree of resistance.

"Your helmet."

Holly scowled. "No way."

"Please?"

"No."

"It's the only method I can think of."

"No."

"Holly…" he wheedled.

"No. Not a chance in hell."

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Half an hour later, Artemis sat in the centre of the bed, the remains of his phone and Holly's LEP helmet scattered around him. The elf had disappeared, sulking.

He had built a crude but effective network by combining both his and Foaly's technologies. Hopefully, it would be enough to keep Opal out. With some trepidation, he selected Butler's icon from his contacts list and pressed 'call'. The bodyguard answered on the second ring.

"Artemis?"

"It's me."

"Thank god. Your parents have been frantic the last few days. They didn't know what had happened to you. Your mother was afraid you were going to disappear off for three years again." Artemis's only response was a slight thinning of the lips. Obviously, Foaly hadn't bothered to inform his parents that he was not dead. "Artemis?" he shook himself.

"Yes, old friend?"

"What happened?"

"Nothing much. Opal Koboi from the past attempted to kidnap me. We are not yet sure why, but the LEP were there in a matter of hours. They rescued me but Opal escaped. Holly and I are currently on the run from her and we need you to come and pick us up if possible. Also, on your way, would you please transport my family to one of the safe houses? I fear that they may become her next targets." Butler appeared to take all this in his stride.

"Very well, Artemis. Where are you right now?"

"We are currently in a small town called…" he glanced at a leaflet on the dresser. "Elterwater. It's in the Lake district in Cumbria."

"Right. I'll be there in about three hours. I shall call you when I am close."

"Thank you, Butler." He hung up just as the door swung open and Holly materialised with yet more clothes.

"What are those for?" he asked as she sat down beside him.

"It's snowing outside, in case you hadn't noticed. I figured you'd want something a little warmer than what you were wearing yesterday." She held out the bag to him and he took it with some apprehension.

"Where did you get the money for these?" Holly shrugged and began to answer, before noticing her dissembled helmet.

"Gah! Artemis, what have you done?" she picked up the visor and cradled it gently in her hands. "This isn't even fixable!" He raised an eyebrow at her outburst.

"You gave me permission Holly." She grimaced.

"I know. But still… what if Foaly needs to contact me?"

"It'll come through on my phone."

"Right. Fine." She didn't look too pleased. "Did you get Butler?" he nodded.

"Yes. He'll be here in three hours. He's taking my family to a safe house first." He frowned a little. Holly put an arm round his shoulder.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine." All of a sudden, her face lit up. "And I know what we can do in the meantime!"

"What?"

She smiled wickedly. "Just go get dressed in your new clothes, mud boy." Artemis made a face. When Holly looked that happy, it didn't usually bode well for him.

An hour later, after a speedy breakfast for Artemis and sneakily pilfered toast for Holly, they were on their way out the door. Artemis dumped a wad of cash at the desk, much to the surprise of the landlady. Before she could say anything however, he hurried out onto the snowy street and vanished from sight.

He trudged down the road, making slow progress due to the knee-deep snow. Drifting alongside him, invisible, was Holly. She was being unusually silent, which worried Artemis slightly.

"Holly?" he hissed without moving his lips for fear of attracting attention. He didn't want to seem like he was talking to himself.

"What is it?" Her disembodied voice whispered back.

"What are we doing now? You had an idea." He could almost hear her grinning as she said her next words.

"Oh, don't worry, Artemis. You'll see soon enough." The next second, Artemis fought back a yelp of surprise as a furiously vibrating hand grabbed onto his arm and pulled him along. It was a very strange sensation, and was sending shudders up and down his arm. "Just follow me." Came Holly's voice.

Artemis glanced around. It was highly unlikely that Opal would have tracked them here. She didn't rely on random searching to find her victims, which explained her sudden giving up last night. They should be safe enough until Butler arrived, providing they didn't draw any attention to themselves. Holly dragged him down a narrow street, through a small copse of trees and out onto a blank white field. It had been untouched since last nights snowfall. Finding his arm suddenly free from the elf's juddering grip, Artemis slowly wandered out into the centre of the space, marvelling at the satisfying feeling of fresh snow crunching beneath his boots. He felt almost childlike. Never before had he ventured out into the snow just to experience it. Even as a child, he had avoided it as much as possible. Cold and damp just led to discomfort. And discomfort was something that Artemis Fowl usually avoided at all costs.

He was distracted from his daydream by a huge white missile imploding on his face. Artemis fell over and promptly swallowed a mouthful of snow in his surprise. Choking, he stumbled to his feet, just as another snowball streaked towards him. Once again, he received a face full of snow. He lurched to the side and attempted to get out of range.

"HOLLY!" he yelled. The elf materialised, smiling cheekily. She was standing barely three metres from him.

"What is it Arty?" she asked politely.

"Stop chucking snow at me!" Holly beamed.

"No chance! I've never had a snowball fight before and this is fun. Besides, I'll bet you've never had one either." She buzzed back out of sight and lobbed another snowball his way. _Her aim is impeccable_, Artemis thought as he was hit in the face yet again. He blundered backwards, trying get away.

"You can't beat me-e" called a singsong voice. Artemis grumbled and was hit again. He twisted around, trying to pinpoint Holly's location.

"This would be a lot fairer if I could actually see you."

"When have you ever cared about being fair, Arty?"

"When I'm at the disadvantage," he mumbled, listening hard. _Keep her talking; you need to know where she is. _A snowball impacted on the back of his coat and he spun round. He could hear his friend laughing. He scanned the bleak frozen landscape, searching for even a slight shimmer in the air. It was no use. Foaly's upgrades had done the job. Suddenly, out the corner of his eye, he saw a snowball materialise seemingly out of thin air and fly towards him. It landed in his already dripping hair but Artemis didn't mind. He now knew where Holly was and could launch his counter attack. He surreptitiously scooped up a pile of snow and shaped it into a rough sphere, eyes and ears tracking Holly's movement all the while.

_Time the trajectory, take into account speed of movement, Holly's average directional movement is to the right, estimate distance from her, her height from the ground is precisely 100 centimetres, calculate velocity, distance my arm can throw…_ Artemis pulled back his left arm and lobbed the compacted snow in the precisely calculated direction of his friend. For once in his life, his aim was true. He was bang on target. The snow smashed into an invisible barrier and Holly materialised, scowling. Her still-growing-out hair was soaked. She advanced on him menacingly.

"This means war, mud boy." She pulled two fistfuls of white mush from beneath her, balling them up as she walked. Artemis began to back away, suddenly fearing very much for his general safety.

Unfortunately for him, he reversed a bit too quickly. He slipped and ended up on his rear in a snowdrift. Holly didn't stop, she pressed forward relentlessly, coming to a halt above where he sat. Artemis tried feebly to stand up.

"Holly, please… oof!" The first snowball hit him in the face again, the second in the gut. With lightning speed borne only of years of LEP Academy training, Holly scooped up two more piles of snow and sent them his way too. She pelted him with a never-ending supply of snowballs; after about twenty seconds, Artemis lost count. He struggled to stand up and eventually made it to his knees. He no longer cared about a counter attack. He had only one thought on his mind. _Stop that elf. _With all the strength he could muster, he lunged at Holly, grabbing her around the knees and tackling her to the ground, all the while being bombarded with snowballs. Eventually, he managed to pin her arms by her sides. He sat on her legs to prevent her from kicking and then grinned.

"Ha. I won."

Holly was stunned. "How is that actually possible, Artemis? You can't beat me!" he smirked and leaned back slightly.

"Well I just did, so obviously it is possible."

Holly growled and wriggled violently, trying to get free. Artemis was very nearly thrown off but somehow succeeded in retaining his grip on the elf. If she managed to get free, he would most probably end up at the very least grievously injured. After all, Holly seemed to see _punches _as a sign of _affection._ After a few moments, she ceased her escape attempts and lay still.

"Okay." She conceded. "You win."

"Good." He carefully and slowly moved to free her. As soon as her arms were free, she grabbed him in a stranglehold and somehow managed to flip him over onto his knees.

"Ow!" she twisted his arm up the way before leaning in very close to his ear.

"I win." She breathed, twisting harder.

"You win!" he gasped. She let him go and he collapsed into the snow again. Holly lay back beside him and for a moment, they both concentrated on regaining their breath.

After a few minutes, Artemis became conscious of a muffled ringing sound coming from his pocket.

"Phone," he gasped, still not fully recovered. "I should probably get that."

"Yeah." Agreed Holly breathlessly. "You should."

With considerable effort, he sat up and ripped off a glove with his teeth. He rummaged around in his coat and finally answered the call. It was, of course Butler on the secure line.

"Artemis. Where are you? I'm in Elterwater."

"That was fast." Artemis remarked.

"I called in a few favours" The bodyguard replied nonchalantly. Artemis nodded. It seemed like everyone owed his manservant favours.

"Meet us in the village square. Holly and I will be right there." he hung up and turned to her. When he spoke, his voice came out a little higher than usual. "Our lift's here." She nodded and they struggled to their feet. Artemis's black hair flopped across his face, ice chunks dripping from it. He pushed it away impatiently with his gloved hand and glanced at Holly. She was just as soaked as he was. Oh well. Nothing they could do about that now. They set off back the way they came. Soon enough, they made it to the square.

"Which one is Butler?" Holly asked. Artemis inspected the line of parked cars on the street. He pointed to a non-descript Land Rover.

"That one. He's trying to blend in."

They crunched across the square and came to a sodden halt in front of the 4x4. Butler leaned across and opened the door, gesturing for the pair to get in. He watched them with raised eyebrows as they sat down, creating slushy puddles on the leather seats.

"What happened to you two?" he asked curiously.

"Snow." Holly answered unhelpfully. Artemis was kind enough to elaborate.

"Holly attempted to incapacitate me using snowballs."

"And managed by the looks of it." Butler remarked.

"He gave as good as he got, Butler." Smiled Holly. "Your get-fit regime must be doing him _some_ good."

"Ha ha. Thanks Holly." Artemis chipped in as he fastened his seatbelt. Holly just grinned. Butler started up the car and they began the precarious journey through the snow filled streets. After about an hour, they made it to the airport. Butler had brought the Fowl's Lear jet, which was sitting conveniently on the airstrip, ready for take off.

They jumped out of the Land Rover and hurried across the tarmac. The snow had been cleared from the runway so they would get a clear takeoff. Butler pulled open the door and the three climbed inside, glad to be out of the biting wind. Artemis automatically made his way through to the cockpit. After all, he usually flew. Before he could take a seat however, Butler held out an arm, blocking his way.

"Let me fly Artemis. You could be traumatised." Artemis halted in confusion. Why would he be traumatised? It wasn't like the last few days had been any more taxing on his health than their previous escapades. He was perfectly capable of flying a plane. Nonetheless, he let the comment pass and after peeling off his soaking coat and gloves, sat down in the passenger area. Holly curled up catlike on the seat across the aisle from him and promptly fell asleep as the plane took off. Artemis watched her, lost in his thoughts. After about half an hour, he went through to join Butler. He was controlling the plane manually. Artemis casually inspected the various gauges and meters on the dashboard.

"Which safe house did you take my family to?" Butler kept his eyes on the instruments as he answered.

"The one in Limerick. It's fairly secluded there." Artemis nodded.

"Are we meeting them?"

"Yes. Ill drop this off in Dublin and then we'll drive down." Butler turned back to the instruments and Artemis watched closely. He had just noticed something extremely odd about one of the gauges.

_This could prove to be a massive problem. _He thought. He decided not to mention it to the bodyguard. Instead, he wandered back through to where Holly was still sleeping, one arm dangling off the blue armrest. He slipped into the seat beside her and shook her knee gently.

"Holly, wake up." he hissed. She stirred, blinked and was suddenly wide-awake.

"What is it Artemis?" she asked far too loudly.

"Ssh! Quiet! I need to speak to you."

"What is it?" she asked again, quieter this time.

"We're heading south-east." Holly blinked and stared at him, not understanding.

"What?"

"This plane is flying in an south-eastward direction." He paused for a moment. "Almost the opposite direction from where we are supposed to be heading. Ireland is west from England. We are flying south-east." He waited for the implications of what he had just said to sink in. Holly's eyes widened.

"What is Butler doing?" she asked in an undertone.

"I don't think this is his doing, Holly. That's why I didn't say anything to him." Holly finally cottoned on.

"Opal." She breathed. He inclined his head slightly.

"Either she's mesmerised him or she's finally sussed out long distance mind control." Holly sat up straighter.

"We need to get out of here." He looked at her sceptically.

"How? We're 25000 feet above sea level, in an aeroplane. How do you propose we do that?" She scowled at the sarcasm in his voice.

"We've got my wings."

"We can't open the doors when the plane is in motion. There's no way out of this plane till we land." Holly groaned.

"And that's no good. Opal will be waiting for us."

"Perhaps not. Butler will probably have to take us to her. We may still have a chance to get away once back on land." Holly rolled her eyes.

"Great. So right now, basically, our lives depend on pure chance." "Artemis grinned a little.

"Its real-life Russian Roulette."

"Ha ha. I'm glad to see that you're so calm and unruffled, Artemis, but what do you propose we do?" he didn't know. The plane had already begun its descent. He didn't have time to think properly.

"Right. We mustn't let Butler know that we know about this. We must pretend that nothing has changed. At least that will give us some leeway. If he grows suspicious, he won't let us out of his sight for a second." Holly nodded.

"That makes sense."

"Also, Artemis continued, "do you have any LEP related items on your person?" she nodded, able to see where this was going.

"I've got my boots. They're sprayed with tracker. I take it that that is why you are asking?"

"Yes. I have my phone so I am fine. We can both be tracked down by Foaly if the worst comes to the worst." Holly had a thought that she was surprised hadn't occurred to her earlier.

"Why don't you just call Foaly? Recon and Retrieval are still on the surface looking for Opal. They could be here in half an hour." Artemis shook his head.

"I thought of that but it's too risky. If Opal realises we've cottoned on to her plan, we could be dead in seconds. Less, if Butler is involved." He shuddered. He was having one of those rare moments where he remembered just how dangerous his bodyguard was. "we just need to stay quiet and act normal. We'll be landing soon. The plane has started to descend." With that, he leaned back in his seat and stared out the window. Beside him, Holly did the same. The only giveaway that she was under extreme stress was a slight tapping of her knuckles on the armrest. He closed a steady hand over her jittery one, stilling it, and then gave her a look that said, _act normal. _

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**Mwa ha ha! As i am sure you can tell, the next chapter is going to be pretty action packed compared to this :D**

**There seems to be some sort of theme going on here. Chapter where stuff happens, chapter where not much happens, Chapter where stuff happens, chapter where not much happens... hmmm. I'll need to fix that :)**

**Review! Please!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys. I'm not too happy with this chapter. It just didn't want to be written for some reason. Oh well, I've done the best I could. ****From here on in, the plot has started to confuse me a bit so please tell me if the story's getting rubbish :s**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter, you're all great! I can't believe I am already past 50 reviews on my first fanfic! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl. Eoin Colfer does. And until I can convince him to sell me the rights, that's the way it's staying.**

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**Chapter 8: Escape**

**Western Germany: Exact location unknown**

The plane touched down on a runway clear of snow. Holly sat rigid in her seat; Artemis's hand on hers was the only thing stopping her from bolting the moment they landed. She wanted to fight her way out of this. Not sneak and slip through the cracks in Opal's plan. Unfortunately, her preferred method of escape would most probably end up with both her and Artemis dead.

In the cockpit, Butler expertly manoeuvred the Lear jet into a space near the airport terminal. Once the deafening sound of the engines faded, he ducked through the low door and smiled at them both.

"We'd better get going if we want to make it to the safe house by nightfall." Holly plastered a fake grin across her face and stood up, pulling Artemis with her.

"Yes," she responded cheerfully. "Let's." She shielded and they climbed down the narrow steps and across the tarmac. An airport official met them and shook Butler's hand. He spoke in a strong German accent.

"Good to see you Butler. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yes, Henrich. I would love to stay and chat, but unfortunately, I have business to attend to with young Artemis here."

"Ah good. Well, perhaps when you are finished, you will come and meet me for a drink. After all, it is not often that you come across to _Deutschland_ anymore." Holly noticed as Butler's hand tightened on his charge's shoulder. That remark had been too obvious for even a dimwit to miss. Butler now knew that her and Artemis knew something was up. The bodyguard steered him across the tarmac and Holly followed. Sure, she could escape, but then who knew what would happen to Artemis? No, if there was any escaping to be done, they would be doing it together. They stopped at a set of double doors, which were opened by a security guard in a bulletproof vest. He led them through the building and past passport control. Eventually, they stopped underneath a sign in the main entrance hall.

"Butler, what are we doing here?" Artemis asked. He could no longer play dumb. It was too obvious.

"We are waiting here for one of my contacts. He will take us to a more secure safe house than the one in Ireland." He looked down at his charge. "I won't take any risks where Koboi is involved."

Invisible, Holly gulped. There was no way Butler would let them out of his sight. Then, she had a thought. She leaned up and whispered it in Artemis's ear. His eyes narrowed and he nodded imperceptibly before speaking aloud to his bodyguard.

"Butler, Holly and I were wondering if we could get something to eat. We haven't eaten since breakfast." Butler nodded and pointed to a sandwich stand across the hall.

"Go and get something from there. Stay in sight though, I don't want to lose you pair."

Artemis began the walk across the relatively busy hall. Holly hurried along beside him, missing her wings, which she couldn't access due to the heavy clothes she was wearing on top of her LEP suit. At the stand, Artemis ordered two baguettes, then turned and leaned casually against the counter, apparently scanning the passing tourists. Holly did the same. They were waiting for the right moment, when they could get away unnoticed.

After a minute or so, their opportunity came. A large band of tourists with sunglasses and cameras swarmed past. Artemis silently stepped forwards and joined their ranks. Holly stayed close beside him, holding onto his arm so as not to get lost herself.

They hurried onwards, Holly glancing back at Butler's hulking form all the while. She saw the exact moment when he noticed they were gone. He jerked upright and began scrutinizing the crowds around him. Holly nudged Artemis.

"We need to get out of here. He's noticed." They were level with the exit doors now so they broke away from the tourists and hurried towards the automatic doors. Unfortunately, Butler noticed Artemis as he hastened through the open exit. Holly pushed at the mud boy to move faster. He sped up and they ended up at the taxi ranks outside. Artemis hailed one and they hurried towards it, climbing inside as fast as possible. By this point, Holly was having trouble shielding. Her form was becoming more and more visible each passing minute, as her magic grew weaker. What a time to run low. She silently cursed her luck as they pulled away from the airport. Behind them, she could see Butler climbing into the driver's seat of another taxi, having successfully scared off the occupant. Great.

Beside her, Artemis was relaying instructions to their driver in rapid German. He brandished a wad of cash he had taken out earlier and waved it at the man.

"_Go quickly!" _The driver nodded and put his foot down, weaving through the busy streets like a maniac. Behind them, Butler gave chase. Holly decided to unshield to conserve her magic. It looked like she would probably need it. As she shimmered into visibility in the front seat, the driver yelled in fright and slammed on the brakes. They skidded wildly for a moment before they stopped.

"Aah! Eine kleine Person erschien gerade in meinem Taxi!"

_(Aah! A tiny person just appeared in the back of my cab!)_

Holly swore and quickly trained her eyes on the taxi driver's. Within moments, he was under her spell, mesmerized.

"Drive!" she intoned in a calm voice. He obeyed instantly, slamming his foot down on the accelerator and speeding through the heavy traffic. Holly relaxed slightly and turned to check on the situation outside. Her stomach dropped. Butler was directly behind them, cutting through the mass of cars around them as though they weren't there. "Speed up." she called to the German in the front. Once again, he obeyed and the cab sped up even more, weaving in and out of the traffic. Their tense game of cat and mouse continued until they reached the outskirts of the city. Now they were speeding along winding country roads. Holly glanced at Artemis. His face was white and he clutched at the seat in front of him as though his life depended on it. He obviously didn't like crazy driving.

During all this time, Butler hadn't once made any attempt to capture them. He had just followed them all the way out into the countryside. For a moment, Holly thought that maybe, just maybe, Butler was actively resisting Opal's _mesmer_, or mind control, whichever one she was doing. Sadly, her hopes were promptly dashed as the manservant pulled out a handgun. Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he leaned out the window and calmly shot half a dozen rounds into the wheels of their taxi. It started careering wildly and Artemis and Holly both yelled as it crashed into a ditch. The mesmerized taxi driver didn't even seem alarmed. As soon as the car stopped moving, he climbed happily out through the passenger door, (his door was blocked by a tree), and began to walk back in the direction they had come, whistling the whole while. Holly pondered this for a split second before an ominous slam of a car door echoed behind them.

She twisted round and undid her seatbelt as a portion of her remaining magic healed the spot where it had dug into her shoulder. Artemis also undid his seatbelt and craned his neck to see what was going on outside. About fifty yards away, Butler was climbing out of his cab and making his way slowly towards him. He glanced at her.

"What now?" he hissed.

"I don't know. You're the genius, mudboy." He sent her a small scowl and forced his door open, climbing out onto the side of the road. She followed suit and once outside, they stood together for a moment, watching as Butler advanced on them. Artemis was the first to regain his senses. He grabbed Holly's hand and began to pull her along. Where he was planning on running to, Holly had no idea. They were in the middle of nowhere, with no car and a crazy, possibly possessed Butler intent on killing them both. Artemis was still dragging her away as fast as he could. She wasn't helping him in the slightest. Her feet were useless weights on the ends of her legs.

"Holly!" he yelled at her. She stared up at him again.

"What? Where can we possibly run, Artemis?" He rolled his eyes.

"For god's sake Holly. You're smarter than this. Butler's car."

Oh yeah. If they could get Butler to follow them away from his stolen taxi, there was a chance that they could double back and grab it before he caught up with them. She stopped resisting and let Artemis pull her up onto the grass verge at the side of the road. They stumbled along as fast as they could go without falling over. Luckily, there was no snow here or they wouldn't have a hope of escaping. Suddenly, Holly spotted a small gap in the fence running alongside them. She pointed it out to Artemis.

"We can double back and it might slow down Butler." She whispered. He immediately swerved towards it, almost yanking her off her feet as he did so. He stopped in front of the hole and gestured for her to go first. She dived through the gap and straightened up. Artemis followed suit, though his lunge was not nearly as graceful. It was more of a drop and shuffle. He managed to fit through though, and just in time. Butler made a grab for his foot as he stood up but missed by a hair's breadth. Taking one last look at the manservant, Holly turned and began to run along the inside of the fence. Artemis followed her closely, stumbling occasionally on tufts of grass. They had to make it back to the taxi before Butler caught up. From behind them, Holly distinctly heard a screeching, grating sound. It reminded her very much of someone tearing a steel wire fence in two. They began to sprint. Holly vaulted over a low wall and then stopped. On the other side of a hedge sat Butler's idling cab. She took one look behind her to see if he was following. The bodyguard was nowhere to be seen. Possibly, he was still getting through the fence. She shielded her face with her arms and ran headlong into the hedge. It worked. It was thin enough that Holly tumbled straight through. She rose from her position in the grass and glanced at the car. It was only a few metres away now.

"Come on Artemis!" She called, striding towards it. Her progress was halted by a strangled yell from behind her.

"Holly!" She spun round and caught a glimpse of Artemis waving his arms at her. He was still on the other side of the hedge. Then, a huge torso stepped in front of her, blocking her vision. Uh oh. Fast as lightning, she tried to dodge round it, but was immediately grabbed by two huge muscled arms. Butler had her.

"Artemis!" She yelled as she struggled in Butler's vicelike grip. "Don't follow me! Don't come through!" It was too late for her. Now that he had her, Butler would not let go but the mudboy still had a slim chance.

"Holly!" came the voice again. She heard a rustling sound as Artemis tried to force his way through the hedge.

"Artemis!" Holly screamed once more. "Don't come through! Run! Get Foaly!"

"No!"

Butler ignored this frantic exchange and concentrated on getting Holly to the car. She was certainly putting up an admirable fight for someone barely a metre tall. He would undoubtedly have a few bruises in the morning.

Holly found herself bundled into the boot and the lid slammed down on top of her, blocking out all light and sound. The last thing she thought as the engine started was; _I hope Artemis got away._ Then, the combination of exhaustion and fear hit her and she sank into unconsciousness.

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**(Yes, I am not too sure if I wrote the German correctly as I am studying French at school so if anyone knows, tell me if it's right :)**

**Anyhoo... Muh ha ha! More cliffies, yaay! **

**Don't worry; I have the next chapter almost completely written so I just need to fix it up a bit before I post it. It will be up this week some time **

**In the meantime, how about some motivation for the writer's block-stricken author?**

**Review? Please?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Yaargh! I can't believe I posted this just a day after my last chapter! That has to be some kind of record! **

**I would like to say a great big thanks to all my reviewers for the last chapter, you motivated me into finishing a chapter in a _day _so you're obviously doing something right :D **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl **

**Sort of warning: a wee bit of violent stuff in this chapter but nothing too bad I don't think :)**

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**Chapter 9: Holly is gone**

Artemis didn't move. He didn't know if he _could_ move. Only one thought penetrated the thick fog around his brain.

_Holly is gone. _

_Holly has been taken by Opal Koboi and she is going to die._ _Possibly, she is already dead. I cannot reach her in time. Holly is gone._

He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes as a wave of hysteria welled up inside him, threatening to engulf his entire body and send him spinning out of control. He sank to his knees in the middle of the hedge and rested his head in his hands.

Holly had been taken and he had not. Why had Butler left him? Here he was, perfectly fine and healthy sitting on the side of the road whilst Holly was being transported to her death. And he was doing nothing! He sat bolt upright. He had saved her life before. He had saved her life when she was _already dead_ for pete's sake! This should be a piece of cake compared to that.

There was still a chance he could reach her before Opal did anything mental. he forced himself through the hedge and pulled out the jumbled mass of wires that was his phone and sent an urgent message through to Foaly's databases. _Phone me now._

He leaned back on his knees and began to count to ten. When he was on eight, his cannibalised mobile rang. He had it to his ear before the first chime petered out.

"Foaly?"

"Yes, Artemis it is me, and this had better be important because you are effectively broadcasting your location by contacting me. I explained that to Holly. Perhaps she didn't clarify that to y-"

"Stop talking Foaly!" He snapped down the line, one fist clenching down on the mess of technology in his hand.

"Whoa! Mud boy, that's a bit rude, coming from you. What's up? Someone steal all your gold?" Artemis sneered.

"Hardly. This is something _slightly_ more important so will you please refrain from interrupting me when I am attempting to inform you of a crisis?" The centaur seemed to sense that he wasn't joking.

"What is it, Artemis?"

"Opal has Holly." There was silence on the other end of the line. "Hello?"

"how did she find you?"

"Butler came to pick us up in England but he had either been mesmerized or Opal was controlling him. He took us to Germany, which is where I am now. We managed to escape but he caught Holly again and for some reason left me behind."

"Right. Do you know where they're taking her?"

"No. Just track her suit. And please come and pick me up on your way. I need to help."

"Done and done. Recon should be with you in half an hour, tops." The centaur cut the connection.

Artemis began to count again. When he reached 1546 seconds, the Recon team arrived. He stood up, not bothering to brush himself off.

"Has Foaly managed to trace Holly?" One of the officers stepped forward.

"Captain Short is currently being held in Dresden, Germany. It will not take us long to reach her." He saluted. "Captain Birch at your service. I will be transporting you directly to the Retrieval shuttle where you will await further orders from the Commander." Artemis raised an eyebrow but nodded.

The next second, He found himself being clipped onto a moonbelt and lifted into the sky for the third time in as many days. After about fifteen minutes of hard flying, they made it to Dresden. The LEP shuttle was sitting on a waste ground on the outskirts of the city. Trouble Kelp was standing waiting for them, his face grim.

The group of four fairies and one human landed. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Artemis fumbled with the moonbelt, undid the strap securing him to Birch and hurried towards the Commander.

"So how are we doing this?" He asked as soon as he was within earshot. Trouble didn't say anything. He just crossed his arms and glared at Artemis thunderously.

"What is the problem, Commander Kelp?" He asked a little impatiently. Every passing second, Holly's chances of survival at the hands of Opal diminished.

Kelp still didn't speak. He turned and climbed into the shuttle, beckoning for Artemis to follow. He led the way to the front computer and brought up a screen connecting them to Foaly, then gestured for Artemis to sit down. He did so, growing more and more uneasy at the silence emitting from the elf beside him. On screen, Foaly looked just as grave as Kelp.

"Artemis," he began. "Since I last spoke to you, there have been some complications."

"What complications?" he asked warily. He had a pretty good idea what those complications were, but for once he didn't want to be right.

Unfortunately, as usual, he was.

"Opal has sent a ransom video." Artemis groaned. What did that deranged pixie want apart from murder? At least they now knew Holly was alive. "Do you want to see it?" He nodded.

"Yes."

Foaly pressed a button and the screen went black. The next moment, it turned a blinding white. In a brightly lit space, a small dark form sat hunched up. Holly. She appeared to be crouched in a tiny ball in the middle of an empty room. The camera zoomed in on her face, and then panned round. There stood Opal Koboi, black eyes glinting, her mouth twisted into a maniacal grin.

"Ah, my dear nemesis Artemis Fowl. I trust that Foaly will pass on this message to you." Her smile stretched even wider. "I have something that belongs to you. And I know that you want it back, preferably unharmed. Unfortunately, she has already been harmed, and I will continue to harm her until you do exactly what I ask of you. The camera panned round to face Holly again. She was now sitting with her back poker-straight, her eyes blazing hatred and defiance at the pixie before her. Opal skipped on screen.

"By now, you will know that in my four year absence, I have mastered mind control as I so kindly demonstrated with your bodyguard. I have also mastered another skill. Allow me to demonstrate."

She turned her back on the camera and pranced over to where the elfin Captain sat. With one hand, she roughly yanked Holly's head back by her hair and with the other; she conjured up a small sphere of blue energy. It sparked and danced in her hand, the light reflecting in her eyes, making her appear even more insane. She slowly lowered the hand towards Holly's face, pressing it to her cheek. With one fluid movement, the ball of magic sank into Holly's skin.

The effects were instantaneous. Opal jumped out of the way as Holly began to thrash and scream. She collapsed to the ground and arched her back so far; Artemis thought her spine would snap. Her fingers turned to claws, digging into the floor. Then, abruptly, her shrieks petered out and became one long silent scream. She jerked spasmodically on the floor, eyes covered with a glowing blue film. Sparks flew from them into a small river of energy, which wound itself through the air towards Opal. The pixie absorbed it in one hand eagerly. Then, as abruptly as it had started, the mayhem ceased. Holly flopped back down to the floor in a heap and began to sob.

In the shuttle, Artemis suddenly became aware of a sharp pain in his left hand. He glanced down and saw that he had actually been gripping the moonbelt clasp so hard; it had snapped and cut into his skin. Crimson droplets of blood splashed to the floor. He dropped the belt impatiently and stared back at the screen, not caring about the stream of blood flowing from his hand.

Opal was back in front of the camera, smiling once more. "There. Did you enjoy the show? In case you were wondering what it was all about, I was siphoning magic from dearest Captain Short. I always feel it's handy to have a top up. The only problem is, if the subject is unwilling, extracting the magic by force can be a _slightly_ painful process." Opal seemed to pause. "Where was I? Oh yes. Fowl. If you want to see Captain Short alive again, I suggest you get yourself down here in the next few hours or so. Alone. I don't want to hear even a peep from the rest of the LEP. Either you come alone, or this elf is a dead elf." From behind the pixie, Artemis heard Holly yell hoarsely.

"Artemis! Don't listen to her! Don't you dare come and get me! No matter what Foaly or Kelp say! " The camera swung wildly for a moment. There was a small yelp and Opal appeared back on screen.

"Ignore the elf. Those are my terms." She frowned. "Oh, and don't look directly at the camera. Its bad for my skin." With that, the link was cut.

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**I really don't know how this happens. I just can't seem to end a chapter without there being some sort of cliff-hanger! I apologise profusely to all you cliffie-haters out there for this ending :D**

**Reviews are very appreciated; they make writing this story worthwhile! ^_^**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hellooo. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed my last chapter ^-^ I really am sorry about the cliff hangers!**

**I just wanted to say something. Has anyone else heard that the next Artemis Fowl book doesn't come out till summer **_**2012 **_**? Grr. I'm not too happy with Eoin Colfer right now. The last book had better be worth the wait :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl**.

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**Chapter 10: Things go downhill**

There was silence in the room after the video footage ended. Artemis stayed frozen for at least a minute before Trouble spoke.

"Fowl?" He gave no response.

"Artemis?" Eventually, his head jerked round and he stared uncomprehendingly at the Commander, blood still dripping from his hand.

"What?"

"Are you alright?"

"No."

"Well, pull yourself together." Trouble was not sympathetic. "We are all just as worried about Holly as you are. You know, I blame you for this, mud boy. If you hadn't gone and got yourself kidnapped, none of this would have happened." Artemis ignored him and glared at the screen, which now showed Foaly.

"Get me there." Foaly shook his head.

"I know Opal said she wanted you and you alone, but you can't just waltz in there, you'd be dead in a second. And that would help no one." Artemis exhaled noisily.

"Well then, what do you want me to do?" the centaur sighed, frustrated.

"I don't know. If we send anyone in with you, Opal'll notice, but if we don't, you're pretty much defenceless. We need some sort of plan. You're a self-proclaimed genius. Think of something."

"Like what? Considering the present situation, I don't think I have the time to come up with some sort of elaborate scheme."

Kelp slammed his fist down on the computer in front of him. "There has to be something we can do that isn't suicide!" Artemis ignored him again. He was attempting to empty his mind to think but was having little success. Every thought was centred on the image of his friend having the life sucked out of her. Quelling the panic rising up inside him, he looked up.

"You'll just have to send me in alone. Have Retrieval on standby and hopefully, once she sees me alone, she will drop her guard. They can sneak in after me." Foaly snorted.

"Artemis. That's crap. Opal is at least as clever as you or me. She'll see through that plan in a second."

"I know, but what else can we do?" Artemis turned away and began to deliberate once more. Trouble heaved a sigh.

"Foaly, mud boy's right. He has to go in alone. He's offering, we may as well let him."

"Commander, that's suicide. You can't just let him waltz in there to his death."

"It's his choice. And if it gets Holly back…"

"She'll kill him and then kill her. Its useless."

Suddenly, Artemis looked up, a vampire smile spreading across his pale face.

"Oh, but she won't kill me."

He had a plan.

* * *

Two hours later, Artemis Fowl made his way up the stone steps of a secluded flat in Dresden. Foaly had tracked Holly's location to here. He stopped at the door, took a deep breath and pressed the buzzer. The door immediately swung open. Artemis was peering down an empty hallway. He took a step inside and the door crashed shut behind him, Blocking out any sunlight. He carefully negotiated his way down the hall, stepping gingerly over the discarded bottles and newspapers that littered the floor.

_This doesn't seem like somewhere Opal would associate herself with._ He thought as he walked. _She's more melodramatic than this._ As though the pixie had heard his thoughts, a section of the wall beside where he was standing suddenly slid upwards, revealing a second corridor. He squinted down it, eyes straining against the gloom. It appeared safe enough, not that appearances really mattered where Opal Koboi was concerned. Disregarding his own well-being, he set off down it. At this point, he was beginning to feel the rush of adrenaline as he walked further and further into the lion's den. This corridor wasn't as long as the first, and after about thirty metres, he came to a dead end. Artemis could barely see a thing. Was there a door in front of him? He reached out with slightly shaking fingers. They brushed against wood. He ran his fingers across the surface, searching for a handle. There! Grasping the handle tightly, Artemis pushed the door open. He was immediately blinded by the intense brightness of the room in which he found himself.

"Fowl. You came. You actually came!" a cold laugh rang through the air. As his vision cleared, Artemis focused on the speaker. It was of course, Opal. She looked extremely pleased with herself. "I take it you received my little home-movie then, mud boy?" he nodded slowly and edged forwards, trying to spot Holly. Opal laughed again. "Stupid human. Do you really think I'd let you near that elf when you could have _anything_ with you?" she advanced on him slowly, igniting an orb of magic in her palm as she walked. "Do not move. If you try anything, I will kill you." Artemis didn't make a sound. He stood silently as the pixie strode closer, coming to a stop directly in front of him. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes here, one wrong move could cost Holly her life.

Opal smiled and lifted her glowing hand. She directed the ball of magic towards Artemis. He reared back a little as it came level with his face, but still refused to move. The magic floated upwards a little, coming to a stop directly in front of his left eye. The blue light swiftly turned to a shade of violet and pulsated angrily.

"Aha. What have we here, Fowl?" she activated the wings that she wore and floated upwards till she was at the same height as the magic. With one finger, she removed the iris cam he had been wearing. "Is this Foaly's attempt to spy on me?" still, he said nothing. She crushed the contact lens between her fingers and directed the ball of magic to move again. It floated slowly down to the ground and disappeared. Opal appeared satisfied.

"So you are hiding nothing else up your sleeve then. Good. Now I can tell you what I want from you."

Artemis snorted. "All you want is to kill me." Opal shook her head.

"Not quite. There is something that I need from you. You will give it to me willingly, and then I will kill you." He frowned.

"Who says I will give it to you?"

"If you do not, Holly Short will die."

"You'll kill her anyway." the pixie sneered.

"Are you wiling to bet her life on it?" he sighed, knowing he was beaten.

"What do you want, Koboi?"

"Brain fluid. Specifically, your brain fluid. I am working on increasing my own intelligence and, to achieve my target IQ. of 500, I will need fluid from the brains of geniuses such as yourself. Your brain is especially important since you have had magic."

"Its genii." Artemis muttered quietly. Opal scowled.

"What? Not it isn't, mud boy. Go look it up. The correct plural form of genius is geniuses. Not genii." She glared at him as though daring him to contradict her before continuing. "You must give up the brain fluid willingly or my experiment will not work. That is why I am holding Captain Short hostage."

Artemis nodded. He could feel his heart speeding up and he knew he didn't have much time. "Very well, do it."

* * *

Holly woke in agony. Her whole world seemed to have become pain. Every joint in her body ached and her brain felt like it was too big for her skull. She had never experienced anything like this. For several minutes she lay motionless, trying not to scream out loud. It was as though every nerve ending was on fire. Wait, no. It was as though every nerve ending was frozen. And the ice burned with a ferocity that took her breath away. She couldn't think, she couldn't move, she couldn't even remember her own name. She was helpless.

In her mind, fragments of disjointed memory swirled around her brain in a maelstrom. She couldn't make sense of the images she was seeing. An oak tree by a river bend. A building, big and grand and imposing. A forest that smelt of fear. The moon. A wide expanse of white that she faintly recognised as snow. What was snow? Was it really frozen water? Or was that just a story she had heard when she was younger? More images flashed up. A jet, sitting silently on a runway. A man who was bigger than a mountain. The man looked up at her and smiled, eyes full of apology. More pictures. They were coming faster now.

An Italian restaurant, an acorn, a prison cell, a green train, a submarine, a red cube, an explosion, an ash-ridden island, a blonde haired girl, a demon, a lemur, a cage, blue magic… Too many images. A dark haired human, eyes wide with panic, was calling to her. Though she heard no sound, she could read his lips. He was shouting _'Holly.'_

Holly. Was that her name? She couldn't remember. And who was the strange boy? His terror hurt her. It pulled at her heartstrings in a way that only made them burn more. Still the pictures kept on coming. The more her pain grew, the faster and more chaotic they became. A pixie, eyes glinting evilly, grinned down at her. A camera on a stand flashed on.

Holly's eyes flew open. Artemis! Opal was going to get Artemis! She'd videoed her as she lost her magic and blackmailed him into coming after her. Would he come? If he did, he would die. And it would be her fault. Hopefully, he'd have the sense to stay away. Another image rolled into her head unbidden. Artemis sitting on a carpet, eyes slightly moist as, for the first time, he let his guard down and told her that he loved her, that he'd do anything for her.

Holly sat up. Her eyes rolled back a little from the pain, but she now ignored it. Artemis would come after her; there was no doubt about it. How long had she been unconscious for? Was he here already? He had to leave. She attempted to stand, but found that her legs would not support her. Instead, Holly crawled across the tiny room to the door. Each infinitesimal movement caused the fiery ice to crash back down and engulf her once more. praying that it was not locked, She stretched up and grabbed the door handle, twisting it round so that it swung open. She fell through into the white room beyond and lay on the floor for a moment, gasping as she tried to push back the pain.

"Well, well, Fowl. Looks like we have a visitor, doesn't it?" Holly lifted her head and stared ahead blearily. Two fuzzy shapes swam into focus. The smaller figure was Opal. The other was Artemis. He was sitting slumped in a chair, a pair of sucker slugs attached to his temples. He didn't appear to be conscious.

"Koboi." Holly rasped. "What have you done?"

"Nothing. I'm just draining his brain fluids. He'll be dead in a minute so don't bother trying to save him. You just hurry up and die already. I don't know why it's taking so long." Holly took one weak lunge towards the pixie and collapsed on the concrete floor, trembling. She couldn't move any further. Before she sank once more into unconsciousness, she was dimly aware of voices coming from the corridor outside. The last thing she heard from the floor was Opal's screech of anger as a dozen LEP soldiers stormed into the room. Then, the world went black for a second time.

* * *

LEPRecon Captain Birch was leading the Retrieval officers in the mission to catch Opal Koboi, and so it was him who gave the order to storm the room. They poured inside and immediately Koboi began firing bolts of magic from her fingertips. The officers ducked and dodged, but at least half of them were knocked out. Luckily, his wingman, Fern, managed to get a plasma bolt into her before she could cause any more damage. The pixie sank to the ground, out cold. Birch straightened up and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. Phew. That was slightly easier that he'd anticipated. Behind them, Commander Kelp and the rest of the team entered the room. "Good job, men." He pointed at Fern. "That was a good shot, Captain. Get a pair of cuffs on her before she wakes up."

"Yessir." Fern hurried to do the Commander's bidding. The other conscious officers were busy inspecting Holly. Birch looked at Kelp and pointed at the colourless human in the chair. The sucker slugs were slowly detaching themselves from his head, having drained him almost completely dry.

"What about him?" The Commander strode over and felt his neck for a pulse.

"He's still alive, but there's no way we can save him. He'll be gone in five minutes." He shrugged and walked away, leaving the human to die alone.

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**So yeah. Kind of a depressing end to that chapter. I know that Trouble probably wouldn't really react that indifferently to Artemis dying, but it was the only way for the rest of this story to make sense.**

**Anyway, don't hate me. There are still some chapters to go, so not all hope is lost. It just depends what mood I'm in when I write them =)**

**This chapter was pretty different to the others so please review and tell me what you liked or didn't like :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello. I tried to update quite fast for you all. Let me tell you, it's not been easy with the amounts of NAB'S i've had to sit in the past week, not to mention other homework. I think teachers forget that pupils are actually supposed to have a life outside school. :(**

**Thanks for all the reviews again, you should all give yourselves a pat on the back :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl**

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**Chapter 11: a touch of magic**

**Location: the creepy flat, Dresden, Germany**

When Opal Koboi regained consciousness, she found herself staring into the mismatched eyes of Artemis Fowl. For a moment, she was surprised, though she didn't show it.

"Fowl. Why are you not dead?" he smiled but didn't say a word. She glanced across the room and saw Artemis exactly as she had left him. Unconscious drained of fluid, and dying. "What?"

Artemis grinned again. "Come on Opal, you're supposed to be a genius. Why, your older self even used this technique." For a moment, she just stared at her nemesis, uncomprehending. Then, a flicker of understanding flitted across her face. She snarled, struggling against the officers restraining her.

"It's a clone!"

"Exactly." He immediately launched into an Artemis-style lecture. "Combining Fairy and human technology, I mastered cloning roughly a year ago. My clones have perfect mental and physical capabilities, though the specimens age at an accelerated rate. This version," he pointed to the dying Artemis Fowl before continuing. "Only fully matured about a week ago. I had him in hibernation at Fowl manor and when you sent me the ransom video, had the LEP fetch him. That's why I took two hours to get here."

Opal scowled heavily. This mud boy had effectively beaten her at her own game! "Fowl. I hate you. I hate you more than you will ever understand."

"I know. That's fine, since I don't find you particularly lovely myself."

Her face grew darker still. "Don't bait me, Fowl. I may be going to prison but I still have the upper hand where you are concerned."

A small frown flitted across Artemis's face. "What do you mean?"

At that moment, Commander Kelp decided to join in the conversation. "Artemis, your clone is about to die. What do you want me to do?"

Artemis looked slightly annoyed at the interruption. "Just get Foaly to shut down its brain function. There's no point in prolonging the inevitable, it would have died in a couple of weeks anyway." Trouble nodded and turned to leave. Artemis addressed Opal once more.

"How do you have the upper hand?"

She grinned nastily. "Holly Short will still die."

"What?" though he was trying his hardest to appear unfazed, she could see that the blood had drained from the human's face.

"You heard me. Short is still dying and there is nothing any of you can do about it."

One of the officers holding Opal scoffed. "Don't listen to her Fowl. She's just messing with us. Holly's fine. The medi- warlocks will be here in half an hour to check her out."

Opal shrugged with some degree of difficulty, considering how tightly the two Retrieval officers were holding her arms. "Fine. Don't believe me. Captain Short will pay for your negligence with her life."

After her little speech was finished, the pixie was led away.

* * *

Some hours later, Artemis found himself waiting outside the medi-shuttle that had been sent from Haven. It currently contained Holly and a team of warlocks, including Qwan and n01 who were all trying to see what was wrong with the elf. When she had regained consciousness, she had been completely delirious with pain. Possibly there was some truth in what Opal had said.

His fears were confirmed a moment later when Qwan jumped out of the shuttle, looking grim. "I'm afraid that Opal wasn't lying when she said Holly was dying."

Artemis felt the familiar rush as his heart sped up. There had been far too many life-or-death situations in the last few days. "What's wrong with her?" he whispered.

"Organ failure." Stated Qwan simply.

"Which organs?"

"All of them."

Artemis was dumbfounded. "What? All of them?"

Qwan nodded gravely. "I fear that it is something to do with Opal draining her magic."

Artemis didn't stay to hear anymore. He spun round and set off in the direction of the LEP shuttle were Opal Koboi was currently being held prisoner. Inside, there was a small cell and it was here that Artemis found her. Curling his long fingers round the bars, he leaned forwards and scowled down at the pixie.

"What have you done to Captain Short?"

From her vantage point on the steel bench to which her hands were currently chained, Opal began to snigger. It was a low, vindictive chuckle that sent shivers up Artemis's spine. He waited a few moments for her to answer. When she only continued to laugh, he pressed his face closer to the bars and glared at her, eyes cold and hard. "What have you done, Koboi?" He hissed through his teeth.

The pixie continued to cackle. Her dark eyes never left his. They taunted him, sparkling with amusement. Artemis had had enough. He slammed the bars with a fist and then turned and grabbed a neutrino from the locker behind him. He flicked the setting up to '_burnt to a crisp'_ and pointed it through the narrow gap. "I know this was you. Stop laughing or you will be receiving a neutrino blast to the cranium."

The pixie stared back, eyes wide and innocent. "Well, I may have _accidentally _drained a little too much of her magic. Which of course, being a fairy, she needs to survive. Even fairies that have lost their magic retain the tiny spark necessary for survival. Sadly, our dear Captain Short no longer has that spark." Artemis barely restrained himself from yelling. It would not do to become overly emotional here. His brain was starting to link together various hypotheses as to how to save Holly. It was obvious that she needed magic quickly. He turned on his heel and marched smartly out of the prison shuttle and across the wasteland to the medi- shuttle.

He rapped on the door. "Qwan!"

The elder warlock appeared a few seconds later, looking worn out. "What is it, mud boy?" he jumped down onto the ground and looked up at Artemis.

"I just spoke to Opal. You were right about the magic." He went on to explain what the pixie had told him. After he fell silent, Qwan nodded gravely.

"Yes. This is indeed serious. It will take a lot more than me, N01 and the medi-warlocks to save Captain Short."

Artemis grimaced and looked at his feet. "I am assuming that as Opal has taken _all _of Holly's magic, your magic might not work. Like a blood transfusion using the wrong type of blood. Her own body will reject the transfusion of magic as she has no magic of her own to change it to suit her body."

Qwan nodded. "That's the basic principle." He shook his head and muttered. "Blood transfusions. Humans are such barbarians."

Artemis ignored this dig at his species and pressed on. "So to heal Holly, you would need her exact brand of magic?"

"Yes. Or a very close match, which is not viable. The people's magic is like fingerprints. No two fairies have the same. I'm sorry Artemis, but I really don't know what to do."

Artemis had listened to all of this with a thoughtful expression on his face. "What if you did have a magical match?"

"Then we would just make that fairy heal her and she would be fine, but that's impossible."

No. It was not impossible. There was hope. A tiny sliver, but it was there nonetheless. "It is unlikely but possible, Qwan, that _I_ might have had Holly's brand of magic, so to say."

Qwan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Mud boy?"

"Remember when we were in the time tunnel and I stole magic? I believe that it was Holly's that I took."

"What makes you think that it was hers, Artemis? It is far more likely that you siphoned off a portion of either N01's, or mine as we have a lot more of it than an elf does."

"I know that, but Holly and I swapped eyeballs on the return journey from Hybras. Perhaps me taking her magic is the reason that happened. I could unwittingly have formed some sort of connection." Artemis knew he was grasping at straws, but he wasn't going to give up.

Qwan appeared thoughtful. "Your theory makes sense, mud boy, but the eyeball thing could just as easily have been a coincidence. Swapping of body parts happens often when time travelling."

Artemis gave a frustrated sigh. "Ye-es, I am aware of that, but if I am right, we might be able to save Holly. Is there some way of knowing if it was her magic that I took?"

"Well, it is unprecedented that a human has managed to siphon off a fairy's magic so it is hard to tell. Has anything happened since your return from Hybras that was slightly odd? Like you knowing where she was during the full moon? Or when she was completing the ritual?" Artemis mentally rifled through years worth of memories. Nothing came to mind and he stared at the warlock, forlorn.

"No. Nothing like that."

"Any strange exchanges of magic when it was not needed? Skin contact would be all it took."

A faint tinge of pink appeared on Artemis's cheeks as he replied to that question. "Yes. When we went back in time to save my mother."

Qwan nodded. "What caused it?"

Artemis was by now fairly embarrassed. "Erm… Holly was turned into an adolescent, and I nearly died, and once she saved me she ah, kissed me."

Qwan did not look even remotely taken aback by this piece of information. "And there was magic involved?"

"Yes, there were blue sparks around here." Artemis gestured with one hand to the air around his head. "At the time, I believed it to merely be the remainder of her healing magic but possibly not?"

"Possibly not. But I fail to see how this helps, Artemis. You have said so yourself, you no longer possess magic. You used it all attempting to heal your mother."

"Perhaps… perhaps there is a way to restore my magic. I could attempt the ritual, it could work."

Qwan looked sceptical. "I highly doubt it mud boy. You are not associated with the earth the way fairies are. And it is too risky to move Captain Short in the condition she is in." without waiting for his reply, the demon warlock turned and climbed back into the shuttle. Artemis was left outside. He was not happy. The more he thought about it, the more certain he was that this theory was correct. If he could find a way to get to an ancient oak, he could heal her.

He spun on his heel and strode back towards the third shuttle on the waste ground, the Ambassador's shuttle. He intended to convince Trouble to let him take Holly. When he climbed inside, however, he got a shock.

"Butler!" he cried. "What are you doing here?" the manservant was crammed into the tiny space available, squashing the warlock who was attempting to examine him. When he saw Artemis, he stood up and bashed his head on the ceiling.

"Artemis. You're here. I'm so sorry for what happened before. It was the pixie. She was inside my head. I couldn't stop her."

Artemis held up a hand. "It's alright Butler. None of us blame you. Besides, last time you tried to resist Opal Koboi's powers you ended up having heart failure."

Butler nodded, not really appeased. "I'm still sorry for what I put you and Holly through."

Artemis suddenly remembered the reason he was here. He glanced around the room. "Where's Commander Kelp?"

"I'm over here!" a voice called out. The next second, Trouble Kelp managed to squeeze himself through the tight space between Butler's bulk and the interior wall of the shuttle. "What is it Fowl?"

"I think I know how to save Captain Short." He went on to explain his theory, and why Qwan had been so quick to dismiss it. "… So you see, even though it's risky, it is the best plan that anyone could come up with."

Trouble shook his head. "I'm sorry mud boy, but if your plan goes wrong, we could end up losing Holly. It's too risky. We're better off waiting to see if the warlocks can come up with something."

"You don't understand! She doesn't _have_ time to wait! Already Holly is fading fast, if we don't do something now, she could be gone by morning!"

Trouble lost his temper. For Frond's sake. Artemis! You don't know everything! It cannot work. A human cannot complete the ritual. You are not a fairy, no matter how much you may wish you were!"

That comment stung. Artemis drew himself up and glared down at the Commander icily. "For your information _Commander Kelp_, I do not wish to be a fairy. Especially if this is how they treat their comrades. Captain Short is going to die and I am not being allowed to implement the only solution that we have. You would rather she died than be saved by me."

"Now, see here Fowl. That's not true, we all want Holly to make It." he paused and looked a little uncomfortable. "I am sorry about the fairy comment though, that was uncalled for."

Artemis stared at the elf for a long minute. "Fine. I'll stop pestering you." He turned to walk away as Trouble sat down wearily in a chair and gave a little snort of what seemed like laughter.

"Why is it, Artemis, that every time we see you, either you or Holly end up nearly dead?"

Artemis turned back round and smiled ruefully. "Trust me Commander. I wish I knew that myself."

Trouble laughed and fell into silence. He appeared ill at ease.

"What is it?" Artemis asked.

The elf looked up. "Fowl. Don't let this swell your head, but you are pretty smart, for a human. Can you really not think of any other way to save Holly?"

He shook his head. "No."

Trouble hesitated he seemed to be considering something. "Your plan is risky. There's no way the council would ever let me implement it. They'd have my badge as soon as I put a toe below ground. That is why I cannot let you take Holly to a magical hotspot seven miles from here. I will not allow you and Butler to smuggle her out of here when the warlocks take their break in fifteen minutes. I'm sorry. I want to help, but my hands are tied." He stared at Artemis meaningfully.

He immediately caught on. "Right. I completely understand, Commander. It is your job to be sensible after all." he turned to leave again, but Trouble caught him by the arm.

"Oh and Fowl? You do realise that if you _did_ do that, you would be essentially kidnapping Holly once again and that you will be reinstated as the people's public enemy number one?"

_It was a warning,_ Artemis realised. _Be careful. _He nodded curtly to the elf and then spun on his heel and left. Butler followed silently.

* * *

Fourteen minutes and thirty-nine seconds later, Artemis and Butler were stealing into the medi- shuttle. There was only one lone fairy on guard at Holly's bedside, and Butler dispatched him with a neat clap to the temples.

Artemis ignored the fairy as he sunk to the ground and walked swiftly to Holly's side. She looked even worse than when he had last seen her. Her breathing was laboured and prominent cheekbones jutted out from her green-tinged face.

"Butler!" Artemis hissed. "Come on!" the bodyguard hurried over and scooped up the surprisingly fragile elf. She seemed almost doll-like in his massive arms.

Without hesitating, they vacated the shuttle and hurried across the waste ground to the spot where Butler had dumped the white taxi. The manservant yanked open the rear door and placed Holly gently across the back seats. She groaned a little in her sleep and a small crease formed between her eyebrows, as though she were thinking of something unpleasant. Artemis climbed into the back to hold her steady and Butler jumped into the front and gunned the engine to life as quickly as he could. Without glancing in the rear-view mirrors, he set off as quickly as he could. Artemis directed him to the hotspot Trouble had mentioned using directions from his now very battered homemade phone. They made it there in record time due to the fact that Butler never slowed down from sixth gear.

According to Artemis's phone, they were still approximately two hundred metres from the tree but the car could not take them any further. It was all muddy field and forest from here. Butler scooped up Holly once more and they set off as the sun dipped behind the horizon. As he tripped and stumbled along, Artemis tried to ignore the fact that this much movement could essentially kill Holly. He had to focus on the hope that this plan would work. He had never attempted to complete the magic restoring ritual before and there wasn't even a full moon tonight. _Although_, Artemis reasoned, _it has only been two days since the last full moon so hopefully there will still be enough magic left over in the air. _

Butler unexpectedly snapped to a halt and Artemis walked straight into him.

"Oof!" he tripped and nearly fell. "Sorry Butler."

"That's alright Artemis. We're here."

Artemis looked up. Sure enough, high above them hung the boughs of an enormous oak tree. On the opposite side of the shady trunk, the branches were reflected in a rippling body of water that snaked its way across the landscape. Relief washed over him, only to be replaced by a dull panic. What if this didn't work? What if, by bringing her out here, he had effectively signed Holly's death warrant? He shook the troublesome thoughts out of his head and spoke to his bodyguard.

"Would you please stand guard Butler? The fairies could arrive any minute and I really don't want any more pressure. This will be difficult enough as it is."

Butler nodded. He understood as well as Artemis that this moment was literally life or death for Holly Short. Any distractions now could prove fatal. He laid Holly down on the leafy undergrowth, then turned and hurried back the way they came. The encroaching darkness soon swallowed him up and Artemis was left alone. Well, almost alone. He was painfully aware of the elf beside him, whose life lay in his hands.

Artemis moved over to the base of the tree, knelt down, and began scrabbling through the undergrowth for an acorn. His fingers soon closed around one and he picked it up triumphantly. He could do this. He crawled back over to where the unconscious Holly lay, and grasped her hand in his. With the other, he grabbed a stone and dug a small furrow in the frozen earth. Placing the seed inside, he covered it over once more and whispered the sacred words every elf, pixie, gnome, dwarf and sprite knew.

"I return you to the earth, and claim the gift that is my right." He waited. Nothing happened. He tried again. Nothing. Not a single spark.

Artemis did not move an inch from where he was, kneeling with his hand in a hole in the dirt. Unbearably slowly, a silent scream of frustration seared its way up his throat. He clenched his teeth as the first hot tears overflowed from his eyes. It was over. He was done. He did not know how long he sat there for, trying to force down the scalding realization that he had failed, but he was brought back to his senses by a slight pressure on his right hand. He glanced up into a pair of blue and hazel eyes. Holly was awake.

He sat up as she attempted to speak. Her eyes were still clouded over with pain. "Where am I, Arty?" she sighed. Her voice was so brittle; he had to strain his ears to hear it.

"It doesn't matter Holly. I'm sorry. I've failed you." She looked confused and frowned.

"Artemis. I thought you were dead."

He shook his head and held her fist up to his forehead, leaning on it as though she could still support him as she had always done. "That wasn't me. It was a clone."

Holly laughed wheezily. "Ha. Figures. You always have some sort of plan up your sleeve." She paused for a moment to catch her breath. "I'm dying." It was not a question.

Artemis dropped her fist and looked away from her as his eyes grew wetter. "It's my fault."

She scowled. "It's not."

"It is. I used all my magic on my mother and that's what would have saved you."

She lifted her free hand to his sodden cheek and he once again held it there for a moment. "If you die, I will never forgive myself Holly. Never." His throat tightened and her face blurred in front of him. He barely managed to croak out his next sentence. "I need you to live. I- I love you. I'm sorry, but I can't help it." a fresh batch of tears escaped his eyes and sped down his cheeks, dripping into her face. Holly shook her head from side to side weakly.

"Artemis. I told you it would never work." She whispered hoarsely. He shook his head.

"You don't understand. There doesn't need to _be_ anything. As long as you continue to exist, I am happy. As long-" he choked back a sob. "As long as you're alive."

Holly's eyes began to fill with tears now. "Artemis, I never knew you felt _that_ strongly."

He gave her a watery smile. "Neither did I." He wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up at the sliver of moon above him. It was their only hope. He had to try again.

Gently, he lifted her hand from his cheek and placed it on the ground beside her. "Stay still, Holly." She needed to conserve the little energy she had left. He began to shuffle away from her, grabbing a fresh acorn from the ground. Then, he dug a new hole and placed the seed inside before covering it over once more.

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**All righty! I'll bet no-one saw that coming. Tee hee. Sucker-slug Arty was a clone :D**

**[Also, aargh! Cheesiness at the end there! sorry if you don't like that kind of thing :)]**

**Anyhow, please review this chapter. After all, I was merciful and didn't kill off Artemis. Though now Holly appears to have taken his place. Oh dear. There appears to be some sort of pattern evolving here. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hellooo thanks to all the people who reviewed! It means a lot to me :D**

**Here's chapter 12. Ooh, not too far to go now! (Though still at least three more chapters)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl**

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**Chapter 12: Helicopters**

**The Ritual site: Outside Dresden, Germany**

As he covered up the seed with earth, he whispered the words once more. For a second or two, nothing happened. Artemis wondered if he _had_ been wrong. Perhaps the ritual didn't work for humans.

Then, Artemis felt the magic rush up his arm like a jolt from an electric fence. He fell back into Holly and lay dazed for a moment, as the magic healed his various superficial cuts and bruises. When it slowed, he sat up and turned to the elf. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was laboured. He grasped her cold hand in his and directed the still-active sparks into her. They wound down his arm lazily. He pushed harder and soon, there was a veritable river of magic flowing from him into Holly. He pushed it and pushed it until she was engulfed in a cocoon of blue light. She began to shudder and jerk from side to side as the magic filled the dormant pathways in her brain, igniting neural connections and healing her from the inside. Soon enough, the magic died down and sputtered out. Artemis leaned over her. Did she need another shot? Suddenly, her eyes flew open.

"Artemis! I'm not dead!" She sat up and looked around in wonder. "Wow. Everything's so bright! I feel great." Holly grinned from ear to ear. "Mud boy, whatever's in your magic, it's sure done the trick!"

He stared at her in shock, Surprised by the outburst. He couldn't believe the extreme suddenness of the transition that she seemed to have gone through. "Holly are you sure you're alright?" His voice cracked a little on the last word.

Holly nodded. "I've never felt better." She looked up at the tear tracks still drying on his face and he wiped them away self-consciously. Crying was a sign of weakness.

Holly stared at him oddly. "I've never seen you cry before, Artemis."

Of course she hadn't. The only other times in his life that he could remember crying was when his father had been returned alive in the Arctic, and when Holly had died on Hybras. "I try not to make a habit of it."

She smiled a little at that and then jumped up, pulling him with her. "What now?"

He gave an uncomfortable shrug. "Well… I am going to be in _a lot_ of trouble with the council. Trouble Kelp warned me of that before I took you without permission. Basically, when we return to the LEP, the _very least_ I can expect to happen is a mindwipe."

Holly looked visibly upset at this. "They can't Artemis! You just saved my life. They can't wipe you after that!"

He shook his head solemnly. "Holly, I have basically kidnapped you again. They are treating it as such. Of course, you are free to leave at any time, but I will still be charged with the crime."

Her eyes widened in understanding. "Of course. Once they find out that you can do the ritual and still have magic, you'll fall under our laws."

He nodded. "I'll most likely be sent to a fairy prison if they catch me."

"Why did you do it, Artemis?"

He rolled his eyes. "Did you really think I was going to sit back and let you die?" There was silence for a few moments as he sent her a loaded glance, full of the emotion that he was too scared to voice a second time in as many minutes.

"No." Holly replied quietly. She suddenly became very interested in inspecting her feet, and Artemis was sure she was avoiding his eyes.

"Holly."

"Yes?"

"What are you going to do? Are you coming with me or will you go back to the LEP? I do not mean to pressure you but they will be here soon and I have to get away."

* * *

Though she knew it wasn't meant as such, Artemis's statement sounded to Holly like a test. It was as though he was saying; '_pick them or me'. _The worrying thing was, she didn't know which she would choose. Artemis, her friend and long term ally, had just saved her life when the LEP had done nothing. He was risking a life's sentence in 'The Deeps' because he had brought her back from the brink of death. How could she leave him to face the might of the LEP alone? But what of the people? Sure, she knew the commander would understand; he was secretly on their side, but the council? Would they think that she was abandoning her race to help a human, or would they understand that Artemis had not kidnapped her at all? She smiled ruefully to herself. No. They would never think that. The council, (with a few exceptions) were a bunch of hypocritical upstarts that discriminated against humans at every chance they got. Artemis had been lucky to avoid a mindwipe in the past, never mind after something like this.

"Holly?" Artemis's voice floated through to her brain, penetrating the haze of thoughts that engulfed her.

She snapped back to alertness. "Sorry?"

"I said; we're running out of time. Butler just called. The fairies are coming."

Holly blinked and made a snap decision. "Right. I'm coming with you."

He stared at her, eyes wide with surprise. "Really?"

She nodded. "You just saved me. I can't exactly abandon you now."

He gave her a strange, lopsided smile and turned to the river. "Right. We need to head in the opposite direction of the LEP. Butler has called in a couple of favours and has help on the way." He immediately jumped down off the small ledge on the riverbank and began to slosh his way across, soaking the bottoms of his trousers. Holly followed, glad of her insulating LEP suit that she still wore beneath her mudman clothes. On the other side, they scrambled up the rocky beach and over a hedge. Artemis paused for a second, listening, "I really hope that's Butler." he whispered, looking back the way he came.

Holly listened. She could hear a faint crashing noise coming from the bushes on the opposite bank. The next second, a huge dark figure erupted through the foliage. Her knees went weak in relief. It was Butler. The manservant splashed through the shallow river and greeted them.

"Holly. Its good to see you're alive."

She smiled. "Thanks for helping, big guy."

Butler nodded and turned to scan the skies. In the distance, a small white light was making its way towards them. He pointed to it. "That's our lift." They began to hurry across a boggy field towards it. As it grew closer, Holly could identify it as a helicopter, a man-made machine with a carbon footprint as long as her arm. She wrinkled her nose in distaste and resisted the urge to cover her ears as it floated to a standstill a few meters off the ground. They ran the last few meters towards it and clambered up inside. Butler swung the door shut behind them and climbed into the front passenger seat as they took off. "Hello again Henrich." He said as he sat down.

Holly craned her neck and saw that it was the German airport official that Butler had greeted from the Lear jet. Henrich was saying something but the drone from the propeller blades was too loud for her to hear what it was. She tapped Butler on the shoulder. He turned round, holding onto the seats backrest for support.

"How did you get him to do this for us?" she asked.

The bodyguard smiled. "He owes me a few favours."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course he does. Everyone does." Holly settled back into her seat and stared out the window, eyes straining for some sign of the LEP. There wasn't even a shimmer, though she was pretty sure that they were following. Probably waiting for a chance to snatch her back.

Artemis turned to her, his face hidden in shadow. "Thank you Holly, for coming with me."

She smiled. "It's ok Arty. After all, you couldn't manage to evade the LEP for long without my help."

"True. Though I fear I still have a pretty slim chance of success."

She punched him in the shoulder. "Don't talk like that. I'll convince them. As long as you don't hold me for ransom this time." in the shadows, Holly could see the corners of his lips upturn as he smiled a little.

"I promise I won't. Besides, I value you a lot more than gold these days." Holly blinked as she took in this statement. Phew. Coming from Artemis Fowl, that meant _a lot._

The fragile moment was shattered by a crackling ring coming from Artemis's jacket pocket. "Phone," he muttered as he pulled out the cobbled together combination of Holly's LEP helmet and his Android touch phone. "Foaly?" he listened for a moment. "Hold on." he put a hand over the speaker and whispered, "he wants to speak to you," as he handed her the phone. She put it to her ear and was immediately accosted by the centaur.

"Holly! I'm really glad you're alive and all but what in Frond's name are you doing?"

"I'm helping Artemis. You can't take him in for kidnapping me for half an hour, he was saving my life."

There was a rush of static from the other end of the line as Foaly sighed. "I know that Holly and so does Trouble but there's nothing we can do. It's the council."

"They'll put him in prison, he's just proven he has magic. He's under _our_ laws now."

"I know that too! But maybe a good lawyer could get him out."

Holly snorted. "Yeah right. In a couple of centuries once he's _dead_."

"Holly please, think about what you are doing. You could lose your job over this."

"So? What's more important, job or friends?" in one fluid motion she hung up and passed the phone back to Artemis, fuming silently. There was silence in the helicopter for several minutes as they sped over Germany. It was just as they were entering Belgian airspace that the phone rang again. Holly snatched it from Artemis's hand before he had the chance to answer it.

"What?" she snapped, assuming the caller to be Foaly once again.

"Captain Short! I will not be addressed in that manner!" came the voice on the other end. Oops.

"T-Trouble. Commander Kelp. Sorry about that, I assumed it was Foaly again." She stammered down the line. She'd probably just blown any chances of keeping her job now.

"It's alright Holly, but listen." Her commanding officer's voice had an urgent tone to it that immediately caused her to worry. "We are tailing you now, but we won't take any offensive action with you inside the helicopter. The council accept that. However, there is not point in this stand, Holly. Artemis doesn't have a chance of getting out of this, and you can't guard him from the council for the rest of his life. I'm sorry, but he knew what he was getting into when he saved you. You have to accept that." Holly was silent for a moment. "Captain Short?"

"I'm still here. Sorry, but I will not let them do this. It's prejudice! Just because he's a human-"

"A dangerous one at that." Trouble pointed out.

"Yes but that's not the point. He's changed. You know that as well as I do. We owe him, Trouble."

All right Holly, but I don't think your career is going to withstand another bashing from internal affairs. This is it. If you do this; if you go against us, you're finished with the LEP. For good."

"I know," she whispered, clutching the handset tightly.

"Good luck Holly. I'm sorry I have to be on the bad guys side." The line went dead and the mobile slipped from her numb fingers, clattering to the floor.

She was throwing away her job, her life. What would she do now? Without saying a word to the other passengers watching her curiously, Holly turned her face to the window and uncharacteristically cried, letting the tears roll down her face unchecked.

* * *

Some hours later, the helicopter began to descend onto a pitch-black stretch of land. The only light sources apart from nearby Dublin were three small yellow squares that illuminated the stretch of garden outside Fowl manor. Butler's security timed lights that went on even when no one was home, as was the case now.

"Thank you Henrich!" Butler called as he jumped to the ground. Holly slowly followed, with Artemis bringing up the rear. The helicopter took to the sky once more.

"Are we safe from the LEP here?" Holly asked. "The no-entering-dwellings-uninvited spell has been lifted remember?"

"We're fine," replied Artemis in a strained voice. "I have other security measures to keep out fairies."

"Like you _kept out_ Opal?"

He shrugged. "They weren't activated then, obviously, or if you had visited you would have triggered them." they hurried across the grass and into the small patch of light, where Butler activated a voice and finger scanner to unlock the door. When he was done, he ushered them both inside and then Artemis swept over to a small metal box attached to the wall. Holly watched, fascinated as he pulled it open and flicked a complex array of switches to the_ 'on' _setting. Immediately, a glowing blue sphere of light rose up around the perimeter of the manor, enclosing them in a sort of luminous shell.

"It's the same basic principle as a time stop." Artemis explained. "Nothing can get in, nothing can get out. The only difference is that time moves at a regular pace both inside and outside. A handy security feature." She nodded silently and followed him through to the large kitchen, where he busied himself with plates and cutlery. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Yes please. I feel as though I haven't eaten in weeks." Holly sat back, feeling a little more like herself since she was inside a nice warm kitchen. She had cried herself out inside the helicopter and was now filled with some sort of steely determination. She had made her decision and was going to stick to it.

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**I just wanted to get this chapter up so apologies if it's not as good as usual. I'm too tired to reread it more than once :(**

**Anyway, review please! I love reading them soooo much! :D**


	13. Chapter 13

Yaay! There's not much to go now!

**It feels like forever since I last updated but I'm sure it was only a week and a bit. Life's been getting crazier and crazier each week. **

**Thanks so much to everyone who's still reviewing. It keeps me updating :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl. **

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**Chapter 13: exhaustion**

**Fowl Manor: Ireland**

Holly sighed gratefully as Artemis set down the plate of food in front of her. She was starving since she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast the morning before. Stabbing a carrot with a fork, she pointed at the shimmering blue force field that was just visible outside the window.

"How long will it last for?"

Artemis turned round distractedly. "Sorry?"

"The thing round the house. The one that's like a time stop."

For a moment, he looked slightly surprised, then his features relaxed into a smile. "You _were_ listening. It should last for seven days at the very least. I have never tested it out for an extended period of time however so I cannot be certain."

Holly rolled her eyes. "Great. So the LEP could come barging in here at any moment."

Artemis looked slightly insulted. "Of course not Holly. Have a little more faith in my scientific abilities." he grinned. "Remember, I was the one who brought an end to the icebergs melting when I was just _sixteen_."

She laughed. "How could I forget with you reminding me every five minutes since?"

Butler entered the room at that moment, sporting a pair of mirrored sunglasses that Holly assumed had built-in shield filters. In his hand he carried his trusty sig-sauer. She suspected that neither item would leave his person until this incident was over.

"Artemis. The LEP are here. They have just materialised outside the force field." Artemis rose from his seat as Holly felt her fork slip from her fingers and clatter to the plate. She followed the two humans to the window. Small flecks of white were beginning to fall, but outside the force field an array of LEP vehicles were just visible. They were shimmering slightly, as though seen through a heat haze.

Holly wriggled between Artemis and Butler and stood at the windowsill, craning her neck to see if she could identify any of the antlike figures climbing in and out of the shuttles. Before she could see properly, she felt a hand pushing her head downwards, out of view. She scowled up at Artemis, the one doing the pushing.

"What are you doing mud boy?"

"They cannot see you."

"Why not?"

"I have not yet completely decided on a plan to get us out of this situation Holly. One wrong move could be devastating. Our opponents must only know what I want them to know. Nothing more."

Holly sighed in frustration but nodded nonetheless. If she wanted to help, she would have to listen to Artemis. What he was saying did make sense to the military part of her brain, though the 'Holly' part itched to see what was going on. Restraining her curiosity, she edged away from the window, keeping low so as not to expose the top of her head to any fairy who happened to glance her way. Once she was safely away from the window, Holly straightened up.

"Will you close the curtains?" she asked Butler and Artemis. "It makes it a bit easier for me to move about if I don't have to worry about getting seen."

"Sure Holly." replied Butler, stalking out the room to cover the windows. Artemis pulled the curtains shut in the kitchen and then set off to help. As soon as he had left the room, Holly sank down onto a chair, exhausted. Now that her magical high had worn off from the healing, the exhaustion of recent events was beginning to catch up with her. This was turning out to be the most draining week she had experienced in a long time. She mentally reeled through a list of what had happened.

First, Artemis had been kidnapped by Opal Koboi and she had had to rescue him by breaking his ribs and nearly killing him. Then, after they had escaped and she had restored her magic, Opal had come after them again. Then, Butler had (under Opals control) kidnapped her and Opal had tried to kill her. Then, Artemis's clone had come to get her, then, Artemis himself had come to get her along with the LEP. Then, she'd been given up for dead, then Artemis had saved her and the LEP had turned on him because of his actions. And she had sacrificed her job for his sake. And now, they were barricaded in Fowl Manor with a squad of fairies all hammering to get in and arrest Artemis for no reason, and fire her.

Holly grudgingly let her eyelids droop closed. No wonder she was tired. It was mere seconds later that the sound of encroaching footsteps caused her to open her eyes once more. Artemis was standing in the doorway, also looking fit to drop. He had heavy dark circles beneath his eyes and his whole frame seemed to droop, as though he was too exhausted to hold it up any longer. It looked like she wasn't the only one that was worn out.

"Hey Arty," she smiled sleepily as he collapsed into the kitchen chair beside her.

"All the curtains have been shut, and every camera set to a secure frequency. No-one's seeing in here unless I let them." he slumped to the table and blew his hair out of his eyes. "There's not much more I can do till they make the first move."

Holly smiled a little sadly. It felt weird to be on the opposing side to the LEP. She glanced across at the human, who was now sitting with his head in his hands, struggling to stay awake. "You should sleep Artemis."

He shook his head. "I can't. I need to be ready in case they decide to launch a rescue plan."

"I'll keep a lookout. Or Butler. He's more than capable of waking you up if anything happens."

Artemis nodded slowly and closed his eyes where he sat, slumped across the kitchen table. Holly watched him for a few moments then scraped her chair back and went to locate the bodyguard. She found him in the main hall, rigging up extra security cameras.

"What are you doing?"

"Extra safety Holly. Last time we went up against the fairies we had a good deal more security. Artemis Senior had many enemies and it was needed at the time. In the last few years since he reformed, he has had a fairly large number of the cameras deactivated. I need to get them all online once more."

Holly nodded. Every square inch of the manor would need protected even with the force field. "Don't forget the cellar." She smiled, remembering how last time Artemis's plan had almost been foiled by Mulch Diggums entering using a fairly unconventional method.

Butler grunted, obviously not wanting to remember that embarrassing episode. "That was the first place I rigged."

Holly suddenly remembered the reason she had come to Butler in the first place. "Artemis is asleep. He wants you to wake him if anything happens."

He nodded. "That's fine. But what about you Holly? You look dead on your feet."

She stifled a huge yawn at Butler's words. "I am. That's why I'm telling you to alert Artemis. I don't think I'll stay awake much longer myself." With that, she stumbled back through to the kitchen and drooped into her seat at the table. She glanced across at Artemis one last time. Even in his sleep he looked frustrated today. There was a small frown on his face as though something was bothering him. Before Holly could ponder this, her eyes slid shut of their own accord and she rested her head on the tabletop, already asleep.

When she woke, Holly was surprised to see the space beside her empty. She sat up. Where had Artemis gone?

She found him in his study, staring furiously at a computer screen with tired eyes. "Artemis? How long did you sleep for?"

He jumped at the sound of her voice and spun round. "An hour or so?"

Holly sighed. "Artemis, you cannot go on like this. You look like hell and here's no way you'll come up with a solution to this problem if you're too tired to even think."

"I can think. I'm thinking right now."

"Stop being irritating!" she marched over and pulled him to his feet. He didn't resist and allowed himself to be dragged along the hallway towards his room. Once there however, he stopped at the door.

"There's no point in making me sleep. That will not solve anything."

"Shut up, mud boy." She yanked open the door and shoved him inside. "You might think of some sort of amazing plan once you're more awake.

Artemis threw himself down on the bed with a sigh. "Holly. I have examined this situation from every angle. There's no plan that will work. The only way I am getting out of this is if we all somehow convince the council to change their minds. Which, to be brutally honest, I do not see happening. Every second you stay in here with me only strengthens their resolve. You may as well leave. Try and salvage the remains of your career. You never know, the council might accept you back into the LEP. I know Trouble and Foaly would fight your case." He sat up and looked at her.

Holly shook her head angrily. "I'm not leaving you to handle this alone."

"But why? There's nothing for you here."

"Yes there is."

Artemis glared at her in frustration. "_What_ Holly? _What_ is there? _What_ is causing you to act this stupidly?" with each '_what'_, he thumped his fist down on the mattress, emphasizing his annoyance. She stared at him mutely. "Holly! Answer me!" she stayed silent and crossed the room to stand in front of her unusually angry friend. He glowered at her for a few moments, then his face seemed to give up and the look was replaced by one of misery. "Why are you doing this?" he whispered.

Once again, Holly didn't answer. Instead, she stretched up and pressed her lips to his. Artemis froze beneath her as she pulled away.

"What was that for?" he croaked, still in shock.

Holly shrugged. "That's why I am staying."

"Eh?"

She rolled her eyes at the genius's sheer stupidity. "Do I need to spell it out for you Artemis?"

He seemed to collect himself a little. "No. I just wasn't expecting… I mean, you always… that is…" Holly decided to put the poor human out of his misery and reached for him once more. He shut up at once and this time responded, kissing her back tentatively. When they broke apart, he gave her a small and rather scared smile. Holly laughed and punched him in the shoulder.

"Arty, I won't bite."

"I know that, I just…" the ability of speech seemed to have deserted him.

"Who'd have known it? If I'd realised that all I had to do to shut you up was kiss you, I'd have done it a lot sooner."

For once in his life, Artemis had no comeback.

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**So… was it satisfactory for you all?**

**I _need_ feedback so I know how to do the next chapter**! :D


	14. Chapter 14

**Here we go. Chapter 14 comes out just a day after 13. That's pretty good. Though its bad for my school work as I am doing this instead of homework. Though I suppose it **_**could**_** count as English revision? :D**

**Thankyouthankyouthankyou for all the lovely reviews I got for the last chapter! You guys are sooo great! **

**And I finally got past 100 reviews! **

_**Aah, I remember the time when this fic was brand new and I had just 3 little reviews… ^_^**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl, though I think you probably know that by now**

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****Chapter 14: Alienation**

**Fowl Manor: Ireland**

Butler found Artemis and Holly sometime later, lying side by side on top of the bedcovers, fast asleep.

"Artemis?" he called softly. His principal did not stir. Beside him however, Holly woke with a start, flipping upright before Butler even had time to blink. She jumped off the end of the bed, flushing a little as she looked up at the bodyguard.

"I was trying to get Artemis to go back to sleep. I must have drifted off as well."

Butler nodded. "It's to be expected after what you've been through in the past few days."

The elf jerked her head towards the sleeping boy behind her. "Do you want me to wake him up?"

"Knock yourself out."

She grinned and thumped Artemis on the chest, harder than she would normally have done. "MUD BOY!" she yelled in his ear. "WAKEY WAKEY!"

_Hmmm._ Thought Butler as Artemis woke with a yelp. _It's almost as though she's compensating for something._

Artemis sat up, rubbing the place where Holly had hit him. "What was that for?" he asked in an injured tone.

The elf shrugged. "Nothing. Butler wants you."

He turned towards Butler questioningly. "What is it, old friend?"

"The LEP are trying to send a communications signal through. Someone wants to speak to you."

Artemis frowned. "Will they breach our defences if we make contact?"

Butler shook his head solemnly. "No. Not if we put them through on a secure line with no other connections."

Artemis nodded absent-mindedly. "Do that then. I will be there in a moment."

Butler nodded and headed for the door. As he left, he distinctly heard Artemis whisper in a plaintive voice; "why'd you attack me Holly?" Butler would've let the comment slide as the beginning of a normal Artemis/Holly argument if he hadn't heard the elfin captain's reply.

"I don't know. I was trying to cover up that I'd been kissing you. It's made me all self conscious, like everyone who sees us knows."

Artemis's reply was low and unintelligible, so Butler decided to leave. He pondered this new development. It certainly explained a lot, such as why Holly was so eager to help defend Artemis from the LEP. As he made his way to the security booth, Butler sighed. Trust Artemis Fowl to have the most complicated love life ever. _Of course_ he couldn't settle down with a normal girl, no. Because that would make Butler's job _far _too easy.

Instead, he had to become romantically involved with a police captain who had a reputation for being the biggest danger magnet Butler knew, apart from Artemis himself. Oh, and she was also _an elf._ How could he forget that?

He sighed again. Oh well. If master Artemis was happy, who was he to complain? And it wasn't exactly out of the blue either. He had long suspected Artemis had feelings for Holly. He just found it surprising that she returned them. He continued on his way, deciding that the best course of action would be to appear oblivious for the present.

* * *

Artemis caught up with Butler a few minutes later, looking slightly pink. "Butler. Are we online?"

"Nearly. I'm just patching them through to the secure line now."

"Good." Artemis needed to see what the LEP had to say. He needed more of an insight to their plans so he knew how to proceed from here.

"We're online." Butler brought up a screen on one of the computers lining the walls and turned up the volume. Sitting in front of them in a specially modified shuttle-pilot's chair was Foaly. Artemis sat down and stared intently at the centaur.

"Artemis, Butler." he whinnied. "It's good to see you're still alright. I mean, not that I should care, with me being on the opposing team once more…" he fell silent for a moment and checked over his shoulder, presumably to make sure he was alone. "Artemis, I- I'm sorry about this. But there's nothing any of us can do. Our hands are tied, it's the council that make the decisions."

Artemis nodded. It was quite touching to see that the centaur was genuinely upset. "We understand, Foaly. But why are you calling?"

"Trouble wants to come in and negotiate for Holly to leave. The council are still in the dark about her apparent allegiances to you, but we won't be able to keep it that way for much longer. Once they realise that she is staying of her own free will, and standing against the LEP, she will be done for."

Artemis frowned. "In that she'll lose her job?"

Foaly sighed and shook his head. "It's not just that, mud boy. Holly is essentially turning her back on her own people. By assisting you against the council, she faces losing not only her job, but also her contact with the people. They will exile her if this gets out. She will be an outcast."

Artemis slumped backwards and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I _have_ tried to convince her to leave you know."

"I believe you Artemis."

"She won't go."

"I believe that too." Foaly smiled regretfully on screen. "I have never met a more stubborn fairy than Holly Short."

"Commander Kelp can come for negotiations in the morning. Tell him to meet me at eight o'clock at the main entrance. I shall let him in then."

"Very well. Oh and Fowl?"

"Yes?"

"Take care."

"Thank you Foaly." He terminated the connection and turned to his bodyguard, worry written all over his face. "Butler. She won't leave. She's going to end up exiled and it'll be my fault."

"No it won't Artemis. You did what you had to do to save her life, remember?"

"I know." He stood up. "I need to find her."

Artemis finally located Holly in the library. She was leafing through one of Beckett's dog-eared early-reader paperbacks without much interest. When he entered, she looked up and smiled.

"What did they say?"

Artemis relayed his and Foaly's conversation. When he finally fell silent, he had to pluck up the courage to meet her eyes. He felt as though he had just delivered her a deathblow. Sure enough, when he looked, her expression was indeed one of horror.

"They'll exile me?"

"Only if you stay. You still have the chance to leave Holly."

She crossed her arms and scowled. "Artemis Fowl. For the last time, I do not intend to leave you. No matter how much you seem to want me gone."

Artemis was a little hurt by that. "I don't _want_ you to leave, but you have to." He sat down beside her on the floor and kissed her hesitantly. She twined her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer, but after a couple of seconds, he pulled away and stood up, breaking her hold. "I can't make you choose between me or your life. Trouble will be here in an hour to negotiate with us." with that, he left.

* * *

Trouble Kelp waited at the entrance archway to the grounds of Fowl Manor. A couple of metres away from where he stood, the blue force field stretched up out of the ground and curved across the sky, encasing the vast area. All around him, chaos reigned. Techies rushed to and fro, rigging the Commander up with every piece of surveillance equipment they could lay their hands on. Medics unloaded at the scene, ready for any casualties that might arise from the peaceful communications about to take place. Officers chattered excitedly, wondering what the outcome of today would be. Would Fowl give up Captain Short peacefully? Or would this become a full-scale siege, as it had last time? They all believed that Fowl had kidnapped Holly once more. And Trouble couldn't tell them the truth, for that could put Holly's life in jeopardy. He wished he could remind someone of everything that Artemis had done for the people. Okay, so he wasn't exactly his favourite human, but he had saved the fairy race more times than Trouble could count. On his left, a shuttle sidled to a stop and yet another bunch of fairies swarmed out, talking non-stop. In their midst, a diminutive figure looked about uncomfortably, scratching his rear end as he did so. Apart from Trouble himself, this appeared to be the only other Fairy in the immediate vicinity who seemed to have some inkling that things were not as they should be. Trouble strolled over and pulled him out of the crowd and into an empty shuttle.

"Have you been told what to do by the council?" he asked.

"I have, but…"

"But what?"

"Well. You can't really believe this Commander. Artemis Fowl turn on Holly Short? Maybe a few years ago he would have, but he's changed. We've all seen it."

Trouble nodded distractedly. "I know. They've twisted what really happened. This isn't what it seems. But you have your orders from the council, as do I. We must stick to them."

The diminutive figure nodded and turned for the door. "I'm ready when you are."

"Good. Get into position. You need to be ready to move fast."

"Aye aye, Commander." The figure nodded and made his way to the launch spot, where he very quickly disappeared from sight.

Trouble sighed and made his way to the same spot. He only had to wait a few minutes before he caught sight of one of the manor's doors open and a tall human step out. It was Butler. The excitable fairies fell silent one by one as the man-mountain advanced towards them. Eventually he stopped just behind the wall of the force field. His skin glowed blue from the reflected light as he leaned forwards a little, pulling a metal rectangle from behind his back. He nodded his head in greeting. "Commander."

"Butler." Trouble replied a little nervously. He'd never forget the first time he'd gone up against that man. That had been the most embarrassingly short retrieval mission he had ever participated in. In front of him, Butler was attaching the rectangle to a long metal rod, which he held in one hand. The contraption resembled a door-sized fishing net, albeit the wrong shape. He placed the rectangle against the force field and to Trouble's surprise, instead of passing straight through it, the blue energy seemed to bend itself around the frame, creating a small doorway for him to step through. He did so quickly. At the same time as he stepped through, a small disturbance seemed to come from the force field itself. There was a sort of rippling effect that reverberated across its surface. Butler did not seem to notice. Good. The plan was proceeding.

Trouble said nothing as the manservant led him up the sweeping driveway towards the house. He was guided inside and into a small living room, where Artemis Fowl was waiting on a sofa. He gestured to the one opposite and Trouble sat down cautiously.

"Good morning commander. It is good to see you again. I trust the council are listening?" Though his voice was even, he swore he could see Fowl's eyes flash with anger.

"Yes. They are."

"Right." Artemis seemed to hesitate for a moment, as though bringing himself to say something he didn't want to. Then, he raised his voice and called through the door behind him. "C-Captain Short?"

For a moment, the doorway stayed empty. Then, a feminine figure appeared at it, dressed in a disconnected LEP suit. Trouble stood up. "Holly."

She seemed to make no sign of recognition towards him except for a scowl. He understood. It wasn't directed at him, but rather the council members who were surely watching the drama unfold through his iris-cam. Holly made her way slowly to the sofa and sat down beside Artemis, making her loyalties very clear. Trouble glanced at the human. Though his face remained impassive, there was a sort of hopelessness in his eyes that made him think that Artemis _had_ tried to talk her out of this, but had obviously failed.

Well, everyone knew that once Holly Short made her mind up about something, there was no changing it.

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**Yahoo! Negotiations! Not quite sure how those are going to go yet, but my head is buzzing with ideas at the moment so it shouldn't be too long to wait for an update. I aim to have this fic finished by Christmas :D**

**Please review; I love it when I get lots of reviews. It makes me write faster which is a good thing ;)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Right, I've decided. This will be the second last chapter of this fic so enjoy! :D**

**Thanks again for all the reviews! I love you people!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl**

**(also, I really hate the very beginning of this chapter. It didn't want to be written for some reason :( but it does get better so bear with me)**

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**Chapter 15: what else could possibly go wrong?**

**15 metres below ground: just outside Fowl Manor grounds**

Mulch Diggums was conflicted. Conflicted and hungry. But then he was always hungry, so that wasn't too important at the present moment. Though his stomach said otherwise.

He was conflicted because one of his closest friends was apparently being held captive by none other than Artemis Fowl. Which in Mulch's mind was completely impossible. Fowl wouldn't do that now. He was no longer the ruthless twelve-year-old he had once been, no matter what the council seemed to think. And now Mulch was being ordered to break into Fowl Manor to attempt to break Holly out, by force or otherwise.

As he pondered this, he was digging his way deep down into the earth below where the LEP Commander Kelp was standing, waiting for Butler to allow him through the force field. Mulch had to be ready for the breach, or he would never break through it.

On his left, he could sense the vibrations that the blue orb was sending through the earth. He must only be about thirty centimetres from it now. Mulch stopped dead and immediately carved out a tiny cavern for himself. In the same second, he spat into his hands and began to cover his entire body in dwarf spit. It hardened almost instantly. Once he had made sure he was entirely coated, he tuned his attention back to the force field and settled down to wait. It didn't take long. Barely ten seconds had passed when Mulch finally sensed the change in vibrations that signified the weakening of the force field. He wasted no time, diving headlong through the earth and the blue light. As he passed through, he felt a strange tingling sensation in his knees. That would be the electricity. The spittle had mostly insulated him, acting as a sort of makeshift lightning suit, though few sparks still tingled around his legs. He was in. Mulch tunnelled his way up through the earth, to a spot directly below a window. As he broke through into the open air, he pulled a bottle of dwarf rock polish from his pocket. With one hand, he unscrewed the top and poured a tiny amount onto the glass. It dissolved instantly and Mulch slipped inside. He had to find Artemis and Holly.

He soon located them in a small sitting room. The door was shut but the sounds coming from the other side told him that there were three occupants. Trouble hadn't left yet so he decided to wait. He listened to the voices on the other side of the door. He could barely hear the Commander's calm tones through the wood. Artemis mumbled something back. This was so frustrating! He couldn't hear a thing they were saying.

All of a sudden, a wall of sound practically blasted him back from the door. _That'll be Holly then. _

"I don't care what the flipping council say! For Frond's sake! How many times do I have to tell you people that?"

"Holly," Kelp's voice was louder now, he appeared to be attempting to be heard over the din the female elf was creating. "Holly, we know you're upset about this. We all are. None of us think it's fair but the council-"

Mulch snorted. _Upset. Understatement of the century by the sounds of things. _Obviously Holly was thinking along the same lines.

"Upset? Upset? I'm a little more than upset! After everything he's done for us? We should be fighting this, Trouble. Not simply complying with a bunch of pompous old upstarts who haven't seen the surface in the last century! I'm standing up for what I believe in, even if you're too cowardly to do so."

"Holly. Please." came the commander's voice again. "We can sort this out in court. You're just making things worse."

"Please. Court? What _fairy_ lawyer is going to defend Artemis Fowl?"

After that, the voices quietened down again and Mulch could only make out random phrases here and there.

"…He's facing a life sentence now he's under fairy jurisdiction…."

"…The Deeps…"

"…Opal Koboi…"

The Commander raised his voice one last time, speaking clearly and officially. "…You have six hours Fowl. Then we have orders to start bombing the force field."

After that, Mulch heard a door open and close, and then after a pause, Artemis's voice. "He's gone Holly."

Mulch heard his elfin friend reply, but it was jumbled and incoherent. Perhaps now would be a good time to make his entrance. After all, it sounded like they needed saved by him once again. _They can't do anything without me._ Mulch thought as he swung open the door. Only to get the biggest shock of his life.

"Holly! Artemis! What in Frond's name do you think you're doing?" he cried, jaw hitting the floor as his two friends broke apart from their kiss and stared at him in shock. A pair of rabbits caught in the headlights.

Holly recovered first. "Mulch. How did you get in?"

He grinned a secret smile, unable to resist irritating the elfin captain a little. "Ah. Now that would be telling. I won't go giving away more of my race's little talents."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "He tunnelled in and broke through the force field when it was weakened due to Butler letting Trouble through."

Mulch crossed his arms and pouted a little. "How'd you know?"

The human grinned his vampire smile. "Just a guess. But then, my guesses are usually correct."

"You know what, mud boy? You're too smart for your own-" Mulch stopped and back-pedalled. "Hold on here! We're getting off topic!" he spun to face Holly, a smug grin slowly spreading across his face. "So… you and Arty getting cosy then?"

Holly actually blushed. "Shut up Mulch."

Artemis interrupted before he could make a comeback. "Why are you here anyway?"

"The council ordered Section 8 to get me up here to either try and get the LEP in or get Holly out. They obviously knew Trouble would fail. I think they thought Artemis might listen to me because you guys both trust me."

Holly snorted at the 'trust' part, but otherwise remained silent so Mulch continued. "If Artemis wouldn't let you out willingly, I'm supposed to drag you out by force."

"I'd like to see you try." She retorted.

"Nah. I wont. Its kind of obvious that you're _both_ better off in here than out there. The council's after your blood Arty."

The human scowled. "Don't call me Arty."

"So, Arty," continued Mulch, completely ignoring this interruption. "What's the plan?"

* * *

For the next few hours, Artemis and Holly sat in an uneasy silence. Artemis was sitting with a laptop balanced on his knees, trying to figure out their next move. Though he was slightly worried, he also felt a twisted sense of anticipation. In a strange way, it felt good to know that things were finally coming to an end, one way or another. Beside him, Holly squeezed his knee reassuringly. She could tell that he was nervous. Well, she was probably feeling the same way herself. The only person who seemed unaffected by the whole situation was Mulch. He was currently raiding Artemis's kitchen cupboards, having completely emptied the fridge some hours previously. They could hear the banging and crashing emitting from the kitchen from halfway across the house. Artemis continued on like this for some minutes before finally closing the laptop with a 'click' and a sigh.

"There's no way I can work like this. It's too distracting."

Holly nodded and twined her fingers into his. "Its fine. We still have time."

Suddenly, an ear-splitting bang echoed through the manor, shaking the entire structure. Picture frames rattled on the wall and ornaments smashed to the floor.

Artemis jumped up."You were saying?"

They rushed to the window and yanked open the heavy curtains just as another explosion rocked the foundations. High above them, a huge column of fire dissipated into the air. As the smoke cleared, Artemis could just make out the wing of a LEP shuttle. They'd started bombing the force field.

"How long will it last against explosions of that magnitude?" Holly asked him as Mulch hurried through, followed closely by Butler.

"I- I don't know."

* * *

**1 hour previously: outside the force field**

Trouble Kelp stood ramrod straight, facing a plasma screen bolted on to the wall. An elderly gnome glared down at him from the monitor. It was the fairy council's Chairman, Cahartez. He did not look happy.

"Commander Kelp. You have been lying to us."

The elf hung his head in shame. "I know."

Chairman Cahartez continued. "Holly Short is staying in Fowl Manor of her own free will. She has had the chance to escape, but she has not taken it. Instead, she has chosen to side with a human. She will be severely punished for this. As will Fowl."

"Wait. Fowl didn't do anything. You know that now."

"We have a duty, commander. There are hundreds of fairies out there depending on us to put the Fowl menace behind bars one and for all."

"But _he hasn't done anything._" Trouble was getting angry now.

"He's a human. His mere existence is a crime in itself."

"_What?"_ there was something not right here. "That's going a bit far is it not?"

"Au contraire, my dear commander. It is not far enough. The council have reached a unanimous verdict pertaining to the human race. It is time we fought back."

"What?" he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Ah, don't look so shocked Kelp. It was _your_ Recon officer who acted as the catalyst for our decision. Now, listen carefully. Your orders are to capture Fowl and the traitor Short. You will bring them down to the Lower Elements where they shall be tried before the council." The gnome grinned nastily. Not that there's really much point in a trial. Its just a formality at this stage."

Trouble tried to backtrack. "Chairman Cahartez. What do you mean by; 'it's time we fought back'?"

"The council have decided. The Lower Elements are in turmoil from Short's supposed kidnapping. There are riots in the streets of Haven; they are fed up of human brutality. The fairies will finally make a stand against the mud people, starting with the capture of Fowl. After that comes the battle."

This was all wrong. The fairies were a peace loving people. And now their leaders were proposing an all-out war. Trouble tried to choke out his next question. "Are you suggesting that we… take back the surface?"

The fairy on screen smiled and leaned forwards conspiritally before giving a slow nod.

"Of course, preparations will need to be made. I'd say the war wouldn't start for at least a few months. However, we need to send a message to the people. They need to know that their demands are being taken into account. That is the real reason for our capture of Fowl and Short. They will be an example. Fowl, the first human casualty of the war, and Short, the traitor who tried to switch sides."

Trouble couldn't believe what he was hearing. The _people_ wanted this? They were not a bloodthirsty race (with the exception of the demons); they would never _want_ a war.

"We need you to do this Kelp. It will be our first strike against the humans. Get them both down here ASAP." With that, the council chairman leaned forwards and switched off the video feed. The screen plunged into blackness.

Trouble stayed frozen for a moment, then rushed out of the shuttle to find Foaly. He was waiting for him in the supersonic shuttle.

"Were you watching that Foaly?"

The centaur nodded seriously. "This doesn't look good. For any of us." from behind his left flank came the sound of someone clearing his throat. Trouble peered round Foaly and saw Qwan and No1 seated at a small table. Qwan stood up when he saw he had the commander's attention.

"Kelp, you're screwed." He stated bluntly. "The entire fairy populace is down there screaming for human blood."

"How? How could this happen?"

The warlock shook his head and all of a sudden looked extremely tired. "Did you notice Cahartez's eyes? His pupils were ragged."

"He's been mesmerized."

"Yes, and strongly."

"Well that's okay then, isn't it? As long as the rest of the people don't want a war. We can just get down there and un-wipe the council."

Foaly stepped in. "actually commander, it's not going to be that simple."

"Why?"

"Take a look at the live feed from Haven." He brought up a screen of the city centre. It was in chaos. Fairies were running about everywhere, sporting banners depicting humans getting killed in various ways. Goblins were running at haphazardly through the crowds, throwing fireballs all over the place.

"Where's the police?" he whispered, eyes fixated on the drama unfolding in front of them.

"Look." Foaly pointed and Trouble caught a glimpse of a LEPRecon officer in full riot gear, battling his way through the crowds. There was something wrong with the way he was moving though. It was almost as though…

"The LEP are rioting too."

Qwan nodded grimly. "Somehow, every last fairy in Haven has been mesmerised into hating humans."

"Oh Gods. This is awful." Trouble murmured.

"It must have happened in the last few days whilst we were on the surface. Somehow, someone has gained control over the entire fairy population."

"We have to get them back to normal, before they reveal themselves to the humans."

"Right." said Foaly. "What do you want us to do Commander?"

"Well, first things first, we need to get Fowl and Captain Short out of the manor so start bombing the force field. We're going to need all the help we can get."

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**Well, I'm pretty sure you're all wondering how I'm going to resolve **_**this**_** with just one chapter to go. Ha! I'm not entirely sure either, but it **_**does**_** have sequel potential… hmmm… :)**

**Please review and tell me if you liked, or didn't like. I didn't like this chapter so it's fine if you feel the same way. **

**Yaay! Last chapter soooooon! It'll be up in the next couple of days because by now I just want to get this story **_**done.**_** -_-**

**V Review? V**

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	16. Chapter 16

**So… here we are. Last chapter! Yaay! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl**

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**Chapter 16: the end?**

**Fowl Manor: Ireland**

Fowl manor shook once more as yet another bombardment of LEP missiles bounced off the force field. Artemis ran through to the main hall and flung open the front doors. The others followed and they all halted on the step, staring solemnly up at the cluster of LEP ships in the sky.

"They'll break through in a minute." Artemis said. He was speaking more to himself than anyone else.

"So much for the force field lasting a week." Holly snorted at his side.

He scowled down at the elf. "Well I'm _sorry_ it didn't match up to your expectations Holly. It hasn't been tested against LEP weaponry before and it wasn't designed to withstand heavy artillery."

"I know. But now we're trapped."

"Sorry."

Mulch chipped in. "Hey! At least we'll all die together. Our last stand. How dramatic is that?"

"Shut up Mulch." Holly snapped. Artemis watched as she turned back to the force field, glowering. He saw the elf's eyes suddenly widen in shock.

"What is it Holly?"

She pointed to the gates of the manor, where the force field ended. "Look." Just beyond the blue light, Artemis could make out a small figure waving their arms frantically at the group.

"Is that… Commander Kelp?"

"Looks like it." said Butler, who was also squinting to see the diminutive fairy.

"What's he doing?"

Holly took a few steps forward to see, having the best eyesight out of her current companions. "It's like he's… hold it! Artemis! He's waving for us to get back inside! They're about to break through!" immediately, they all scrambled to get in through the door. Butler shut it with a slam just as a thunderous crash reached their ears. The building shook with the most violent tremors yet, knocking them to the floor. Small pieces of plaster began to rain down from the roof onto their heads. When the shaking stopped, Artemis scrambled to his feet, pulling Holly with him. Butler was already up, gazing intently out the window.

Behind them, Mulch stood up last, brushing himself down and grumbling. "Honestly. Could they make those things any louder?" he turned to Butler. "What's going on big man?"

"The force field is down. The LEP are coming up the drive on foot."

Artemis raised an eyebrow at that, slightly surprised. "On foot?"

Butler nodded. "You'd think they'd want to be well prepared against us but obviously not."

"Obviously." Artemis echoed, suddenly thinking hard. Something had happened in the last few hours since Trouble left. Something that had somehow changed their current predicament.

He was jerked out of his contemplation by Holly. "Artemis. We need to go meet them. Something weird is going on here. This is not how the LEP operates." Obviously Holly was thinking along the same lines as he was.

He nodded and made to open the door, but a huge hand knocked his out of the way. "Nuh-uh Artemis. I'm going first." Said Butler sternly, twisting the handle and stepping outside to meet the advancing officers. Commander Kelp stopped just in front of the bottom step leading up to the door.

"Butler."

The manservant fingered his Sig Sauer. "Commander. What's going on?"

"We won't harm you." He looked pointedly at Artemis. "Any of you."

Artemis stepped forwards, ignoring the arm that held him back.

"What has happened?"

Kelp sighed dejectedly. "Basically, the fairy council are on the brink of declaring war on humanity."

There was a stunned silence. Then,

"What?"

The Commander proceeded to tell them of his conversation with council chairman Cahartez.

"This is awful!" said Holly, when he had finished. "Every fairy in Haven mesmerized!"

Kelp shook his head. "It's not just Haven. Foaly tried to get a line through to Atlantis. They're the same. So are all the minor towns and shuttle ports. It's every fairy under the earth."

"Gods. Who could have done this?"

Artemis, who had been listening carefully, stepped in. "Are you certain you still have Opal in your custody? This seems like her style."

The commander nodded. "We've got her under constant armed guard in the prison shuttle over there." he pointed to one of the ships on the near horizon.

"Who else hates fairies or humans enough to plunge the planet into a cross species war?"

"Nobody that I can think of."

"When are they declaring war?"

"I _don't know_ mud boy. Stop with the questions already."

Artemis looked away. "Sorry." He was very tempted to ask another question, but stayed silent. Thankfully, Holly asked it for him.

"What about Artemis? Are you still going to arrest him?"

"No. The council weren't in their right minds when they ordered me to do that. Besides, it looks like we'll probably be needing all the help we can get." He turned to the crowd of officers behind him. "Up here, we have twenty-six fairies that we know have not been _mesmerised_. Twenty-seven if you count Opal Koboi. We need to resolve this situation as fast as possible. You are Haven's finest officers, so let's get down there and find out who's behind this."

The fairies began to move out, heading back to the shuttles and packing up the gear as quickly as they could. Mulch bade them a cheerful farewell and sauntered off into the throng. Holly turned to Artemis. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to take your homemade phone off you now. We can't have you running about with _too_ much fairy technology."

Artemis grinned in spite of the situation. "It's inside, I'll go and get it." he made his way through to the kitchen table where he had left the phone and scooped it up, only to find his path blocked by Holly. She looked worried.

"Artemis."

"What?"

She stepped forwards and took one of his hands in hers, enfolding it in her palms. "Be careful while I'm away. Please?"

"I'm always careful."

Holly grinned and smacked him playfully. "You know what I mean."

"I do. And I will."

"Thanks." they made their way back through the manor, stopping just inside the front door. Holly held out her hand and Artemis placed the phone in it carefully.

"When will I next see you?"

She smiled and pulled the collar of his shirt down to her level before kissing him. "Soon." She breathed.

And with that, Holly Short sauntered down the manor steps and into the waiting LEP shuttle, leaving behind a thoroughly disgruntled Artemis Fowl.

_How soon was soon?_ He wondered as the shuttle rose into the air and shimmered out of view. As soon as it had faded from sight, Artemis turned and made his way back into the manor, shutting the door quietly behind him. For some reason, Holly's words had instilled a strange sense of foreboding in him. He had a feeling that, the next time they met, something big would happen.

_Unfortunately, Artemis Fowl II was correct in his prediction. What had happened so far was merely the calm before the storm. _

_The catastrophic events that were to follow were the kind that made history, destroyed civilizations, ruined lives. One thing was for certain; afterwards, things would never be the same again. _

**The End [until next time! ;) ]**

* * *

**PLEASE READ: **

**Does anybody els****e find it really funny that I can't even finish a story without putting in cliffhangers? Mwahahaha! Don't worry.** **I am writing a ****sequel**** right now. It continues on from where this story finishes off so yes, the whole mesmerised fairies/cross-species war issue will go on. **

**I will also try and put in a little more A/H in it :)**

The sequel will be called _'THE STORM' _and I've pretty much planned it out so the first chapter should be up either this week or next week. Keep a look out for it! ^_^

_Pleeeeease_ review my final chapter! It will greatly encourage me to get the next story written and posted sooner!

**A great big thank you to ****A. Thorn****, ****Artemis Fowl Lover****, ****rainbowmouse****, ****rosepetals98****, ****ArtemisPercyPotter****, ****Stefan Bashkir****, ****MaXiMuM ride 22****, ****TMI****, ****Dawn Light574****, ****ghostsaliensteletubbiesohmy****, ****ElfinEragon****, ****WeLovePercyJackson****, ****Kelalexshipper4evah****, ****brill will****, ****mischievous 101****, ****I fight I win****, ****Readergirl99****, ****TheGateBuilder****, ****Valerie3****, ****invader13panda****, ****greenluvr14****, ****wertheworld****, ****Lynth****, ****Gellia****, ****KusajishiFuktaicho****, ****endra1****, ****gfhgfh****, ****reepicheepy****, ****gagster1233****, ****Meander****, ****Beckett Simpleton****, ****Ellie****, ****Tara****, ****not bitter just twisted****, ****Disney-movie-lover****, ****BunnyWithEvilIntention****, ****camdude****, ****CarolinaEirasSa****, ****Skullover****, ****CatDc****, ****pleasewritemore****, ****HallelujahTheCreator****, ****Kida Ookami ****, ****name**** and all the ****anonymous reviewers**** for reviewing my story. **

**You have made writing this fic worthwhile. ^_^**

**(If anyone reviews after I have posted this chapter, I will put your name up too)**


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